Breaking barriers: Seanika Mathis reflects on time as ASU's first Black undergraduate Downtown student president

After four years of involvement with the student government, Seanika Mathis, a senior studying criminology and criminal justice at the Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions, became the first Black USG president for the Downtown Phoenix campus.

Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, Mathis was first drawn to Arizona State University for the myriad of scholarship opportunities afforded to her, including the New American Scholarship and the Garcia Family Foundation Scholarship offered through Barrett, the Honors College. Since spending time on ASU’s campus, Mathis’s love for the school has grown.

“Transparently, I chose ASU because I got really good scholarships here,” Mathis said. “But since I’ve been here, I’ve grown to love it. I feel like I belong here.”

Undergraduate student government

Mathis’s long history within student government began her first year when her friend, former undergraduate student president Harrison Sears, highly recommended she get involved.

“I started out as a Watts College senator, and then I moved to director of diversity and inclusion, which is now called inclusive excellence,” Mathis said. “From there, I transitioned to the vice president of policy, and I did that up until I became the student body president.”

Mathis herself was unaware that she was the first Black undergraduate student president for the Downtown Phoenix campus, but wears the title with pride.

“It was amazing to hear,” Mathis said. “Still, it was kind of crazy because it is 2024. It was mind-blowing that there's never been a Black undergraduate student body president on this campus.”

At the heart of her campaign and now during her role as president, Mathis sustains a focus on advocacy for all ASU students.

“I'm all about advocacy, representing others and making sure they feel welcome and heard,” Mathis said.

Outside of her work through the undergraduate student government on the Downtown Phoenix campus, Mathis has continued to get involved with the community, upholding her commitment to protecting diverse spaces.

“During my sophomore year, I became a Barrett peer mentor,” Mathis said. “I got involved with the Black Student Union on the Downtown Phoenix campus and was one of the co-founders for the Celebrating Black Brilliance event, which we now do annually on this campus.”

Mathis contends for diversity not only within the undergraduate student government, but also across ASU as a whole.

“Diversity and inclusion are crucial at ASU,” Mathis said. “In the charter, we state that we're about who we include, not who we exclude, so it's foundationally important at the university to begin with. But diversity is important for so many different reasons. Perspectives are important.”

In focusing on these diverse perspectives, Mathis and other undergraduate student government officials have developed impactful programming with the hopes of making lasting, communal change.

“On the Downtown Phoenix campus, we have a focus group where we invite all the coalitions and multicultural student clubs and organizations to collaborate with each other or to collaborate with us,” Mathis said. “Additionally, we offer funds there for events or operations.”

For students interested in getting involved with undergraduate student government, Mathis suggested attending some of the many events hosted on campus.

“I would recommend going to any events that you can attend,” Mathis said. “That's a great way to stay involved with what we're doing. We also have an internship program for students, which is great.”

Sorority life

While serving as a dedicated member of the undergraduate student government, Mathis also sustained a sisterhood through the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, having joined in the spring 2024 semester.

When asked what motivated her to join the sorority, Mathis again pointed to the capacity to enact change.

“I chose the Delta Sigma Theta sorority because it's all about social action,” Mathis said. “All my life I've been about advocacy, social action, and being a voice for the voiceless. I feel like that's something that I've seen in everything that Delta does.”

In her short time as a sorority member, Mathis has once more taken initiative and sought out leadership opportunities available to her, stepping into the role of social action chair alongside her other campus-wide commitments.

“So far, it’s been an amazing experience,” Mathis said. “We hosted an event early in September called the New Generation Voter Forum.”

The event occurred on the Downtown Phoenix campus, at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

“We hosted roundtable talks and had panelists discuss misinformation and disinformation,” Mathis said. “We had conversations about civic engagement, why it's important to vote, how to vote, and double residency. It was a really great community event.”

When asked to give advice to students interested in joining sorority or fraternity life at ASU, Mathis leaned into the importance of one's identity.

“I say really do your research, but also before doing your research, get to know yourself and your own values, so you find an organization that aligns with who you are as a person,” Mathis said. “It's important to know yourself before you try to join a community or a commitment like that so that you don't allow it to change you. You want to join a community that supports you and uplifts you for who you are.”

Looking to the future

As she prepares to graduate from ASU in the spring, Mathis is setting herself up for the future, studying for her LSAT. In reflecting on her degree progress, Mathis noted that she has always wanted to pursue a career in law, a passion developed before she arrived at ASU.

“I'm a very open-minded person, but I do try to follow my passions and my heart,” Mathis said. “I always knew that I was interested in the criminal justice system. I'm very much a true crime type of girl.”

Mathis hopes to develop a culture of advocacy and inclusion within undergraduate student government that lasts long after her presidency.

“I'm very grateful to be able to represent so many different communities, and I am grateful to be the first Black undergraduate student body president for the Downtown Phoenix campus,” Mathis said. “I hope that my work will inspire others to keep pushing toward their goals.”