John Pontius ’10 may not have declared a major yet, but he is already the student government president.  John joined the Thelomathesian Society because he says he wanted to help students promote their individual interests and create new clubs and organizations.

“I was very impressed with how easy it is to form new clubs and organizations at this school,” said the Oneonta, N.Y., resident and graduate of Oneonta High School. “I felt that this was important because it shows that St. Lawrence acknowledges the individual interests of the student body and is willing to support them.”

During the spring of his first year, John became a senator in “Thelmo.” The following fall, he was appointed chair of its Student Life Committee, and midway through his sophomore fall he decided to run for president.

“As the Student Life chair, I familiarized myself with issues affecting the student body and I wanted to take a larger role in addressing these issues to create a better environment around me,” he said. “We, as students, have a great deal to offer one another if we have a vehicle to share our interests.” Being elected the student government president was John’s vehicle.

Another role John has on campus is as a community assistant (CA) in a first-year residence. “I decided to become a CA because I saw it as an opportunity to help first-years in their transition to college life,” he said.

The close-knit community is what attracted John to St. Lawrence in the first place. “My parents, my aunt and my uncle graduated from St. Lawrence and throughout my childhood I heard many positive things about the University,” John said. “After touring the campus, I knew this was where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life.”

John anticipates majoring in government and/or history.