Presidential candidates ask people questions. Some ask about their problems; some ask about their needs. Student president candidate Aaron Greene does that, but he aims higher, too.
“It’s so cool, hearing peoples’ dreams,” he said, with a light in his eyes.
Greene makes an effort to reach out to people, which is no big surprise — he’s both a Student Government candidate and a third-year public relations student. Just sitting in Russell House, he was greeted by a passerby. But more importantly, he greeted two more.
“It’s not about being a reachable president — it’s about reaching out,” Greene said.
Community outreach is at the center of Greene’s plan. He chose his primary issue — student parking — because of the overwhelming feedback he was getting from students.
And as president of the Association of African American Students (AAAS), he has experience reaching out to students. AAAS runs two large welcome events for students: Pajama Jam and Welcome Week Cookout, which pulled 500 to 600 people last year.
Greene is a third-year student and was appointed president of AAAS in the back half of his freshman year, which meant he had to quickly adjust to his leadership role. The biggest problem he encountered was choosing who would be on the board, but he soon became comfortable making those decisions.
He was proud of his peers who still helped out even when they didn't get a board position, and when asked what he would do if he lost the race, he was almost surprised it was a question.
“Whoever wins, I would say, ‘Hey, do you want me to serve on your cabinet?’” he said. “It’s not about the position, it’s about helping people ... wherever I’m needed, I’ll do it.”
The service part of public service is important to Greene, and it’s rooted in his upbringing. He doesn't even consider naming a public figure when he rattles off a list of his heros.
Instead, he goes straight to his family: his brother, who gives his all to people and taught Greene to be himself; his mother, an incredibly generous woman who put off her college career to raise her children and who now has a Masters degree; and his father, a pastor for the past 20 years.
“Always be kind, but be genuine. Be genuinely kind,” Greene said. “Because people never forget that."
Greene doesn’t just put himself into leadership — he’s a singer, he loves writing poetry, he goes thrift and vinyl shopping and he plays golf and basketball. It may seem like a long list of hobbies for someone so involved in student organizations, but Greene seems to have energy to spare.
Still, it all comes back to people. Greene has a seat on the Alumni Association, and a major part of his platform is more assistance for USC graduates. That means more internships, more jobs and putting alumni in contact with students to get them hired.
“One of my key questions is ... what do you want to do in life?” he said. “It shows you that we all have these different visions in our lives, and they’re all possible.”