Take a moment to get to know Walter Reyes, the Mo State Student Body President.

Tell us about yourself. My name is Walter Reyes, and I am from Carthage, Missouri, and that is where most of my family is at! I have an older sister, and she has given me the opportunity to be an uncle to two incredible young men I get to call my nephews! For hobbies, I love music of all sorts! May that be listening to music whenever I am doing anything to picking up my saxophone and trying to make music as well.

Outside of the classroom, I’ve tried to make the most of my time at Missouri State. I’ve been involved with Student Government Association since 2024, served as a University Ambassador and Diversity and Inclusion Chair, worked as a SOAR Leader, and served as the Philanthropy Chair for the Homecoming Committee.

I’ve also been involved in several music organizations on campus, including the Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, and Wind Symphony. I am apart of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Ursi Latinx, and I have also served on our SOFAC Committee.

Tell us about your academic plans. I’m majoring in Finance with an emphasis in Financial Planning and a minor in Marketing. I originally became interested in finance because I’ve always been interested in how people manage their money, save, and invest. As I took more finance classes, I realized that financial planning was the area I enjoyed the most because it combines the technical side of finance with working with people and helping them reach their goals.

After college, I hope to work in the financial services or investment industry, particularly in the greater Chicago area. Long term, I want to become a financial advisor and work with families who may not always have easy access to financial guidance. I want to help people understand their finances and create opportunities for them to work toward financial freedom. I’m also interested in pursuing graduate school, particularly an MBA, because I think it would give me another opportunity to develop my leadership and business skills.

You’ve been very involved with the Student Government Association (SGA). How did you get involved with the SGA? How has the SGA impacted your time at Missouri State? I first got involved with SGA because I wanted to understand how decisions were being made on campus and, more importantly, how students could have a voice in those decisions. I started as a Chief Wyrick Commissioner and had the opportunity to oversee more than $200,000 in capital improvement funds and work with students, faculty, and administrators on campus projects. That experience really opened my eyes to how much work happens behind the scenes at a university.

It taught me how to listen to different perspectives, work through disagreements, and make decisions that affect a large number of students. More than anything, SGA has taught me that leadership isn’t just about having a title. It’s about being willing to listen, ask questions, do the work, and represent people who may not always be in the room.

You are the Student Body President this year. What was that process to becoming the Student Body President? Did you just decide to run, or was it a decision you really had to consider? Becoming Student Body President was definitely a process. I started thinking about running for office my freshman year, all because someone had mistaken me for the current Student Body President at the time! I told my friends about that at PRIDE Band rehearsal, and they encouraged me to get involved! From that day on, I was committed to doing whatever I could to get involved and leave a lasting impact on Mo State.

My involvement in SGA over the past few years gave me the opportunity to learn how the organization works and take on increasing levels of responsibility. There is an election process that students participate in, and ultimately, I was fortunate enough to be elected by my peers. For me, the election wasn’t about wanting a title. It was about wanting the opportunity to take what I had learned through SGA and use it to represent students on a larger scale.

What are your goals for your time as Student Body President and the SGA? One of my biggest goals is to make SGA more accessible and visible to students. I want students to know that SGA isn’t just something happening behind closed doors or something that only matters to student organizations. It exists to represent the student body as a whole. For my cabinet, I want us to focus on listening first. Before we try to solve a problem, I want us to understand what students are experiencing and what they want to see changed.

I also want us to communicate more about what we’re working on and provide students with updates throughout the year. A big part of getting students to buy into our work is showing them that their involvement matters. If students bring an issue to us, they should be able to see that we’re listening, asking questions, and following up. And yes, students are welcome to attend SGA meetings. I would encourage anyone who is interested to come, even if they aren’t involved in SGA or another organization.

Why do you think that students should get involved during college? What would you tell them if they were nervous about taking that first step to join an organization? I think getting involved is one of the best ways to make a large university feel smaller. When I first came to Missouri State, I didn’t necessarily know what my college experience was going to look like. Getting involved helped me build relationships, find mentors, and develop confidence outside of the classroom. My advice to students who are nervous is to start small. You don’t have to immediately take on a leadership position or join five organizations. Go to one meeting. Talk to one person. Try one event. Sometimes that first step is the hardest part. I also think students should remember that a lot of people in organizations were once nervous about getting involved too. You don’t have to walk into a room already knowing everyone.

You were a SOAR Leader for two years. How did that shape your leadership skills? What do you think are the attributes of a strong leader? Being a SOAR Leader taught me that leadership can look very different depending on who you’re working with. I worked with groups of incoming students and helped them navigate registration and their transition to Missouri State. That meant being able to communicate clearly, answer questions, and adjust my approach depending on the student.

It also taught me patience. Sometimes leadership isn’t about immediately having the answer. It’s about being willing to listen, figure something out, and make sure the person you’re helping doesn’t feel like they’re on their own. I think a strong leader needs to be approachable, accountable, adaptable, and willing to listen. Most importantly, I think a strong leader needs to be willing to put the people they represent ahead of themselves.

What is your favorite tradition at Mo State and why? One of my favorite Missouri State traditions is definitely our Homecoming. I like it because this is a time when I feel like campus is truly connected. There is so much that goes on, and students are excited to be involved with every single part! I think traditions are one of the things that make a university feel like more than just a place where you take classes. They give students something that connects different graduating classes and creates memories that people carry with them after they leave Missouri State.

What is a piece of advice you would share with a student? Don’t be afraid to say yes to opportunities, especially the ones that make you a little uncomfortable. A lot of the experiences that have shaped my time at Missouri State came from saying yes before I felt completely ready. Whether that was getting involved in SGA, becoming a SOAR Leader, serving as a University Ambassador, or taking on leadership positions, each experience taught me something different. You don’t have to have everything figured out when you get to college. Give yourself room to explore, make mistakes, meet people, and figure out what matters to you.

What is a piece of advice you would share with a family member? I would tell family members to give their students the space to grow while still being there to support them. College is a big transition, not just for students but for their families too. Sometimes students need to make their own decisions, even if those decisions aren’t exactly what their family would have chosen. That doesn’t mean they don’t value their family’s advice. It means they’re learning how to become independent.

Take it from me, my family wanted me to stay home and go to a local university, but I knew something bigger was in store for me at Missouri State. I think the best thing family members can do is remind their students that they have someone in their corner while allowing them the opportunity to find their own path.

What are one or two resources that you have used on campus that have had a large impact on your time at Mo State? One of the biggest resources for me has been Bears LEAD. As a first-generation college student, having a community and people who were willing to support me made a huge difference in my transition to college. It gave me people I could turn to, and helped make Missouri State feel like the place where I belonged.

Another major resource has been the Office of Student Engagement and SGA. Getting involved with these areas introduced me to mentors, administrators, and other students who helped me grow both personally and professionally. A lot of the leadership skills I’ve developed at Missouri State have come from being given opportunities to get involved and learn by doing.

I think that’s one of the biggest strengths of Missouri State: there are people and resources here who genuinely want students to succeed, but you must be willing to take that first step and use them.