‘I want to empower every aspect’
Haley Guyton knows how to win.
As an accomplished triathlete and someone who has competed in almost every sport but rugby, she’s used to taking victories.
But there’s one thing Guyton hasn’t been able to win so far: a treasurer election. She first ran for treasurer in elementary school, but lost.
Now she’s running for treasurer again — this time at USC.
Guyton hasn’t been involved in Student Government for long. But since joining five months ago, the second-year public relations student has earned a heavy dose of experience as a comptroller, working with five student organizations to help them secure their funding.
The process student organizations go through to request funding from SG can be a complicated one, but Guyton says her experience as a leader of Young Life, a Christian mentoring program that pairs college students with local high school students, has helped her with explaining it.
“If I get to talk about life problems with young high school girls, explaining a financial process is a walk in the park,” Guyton said.
If elected, Guyton said she will focus on improving SG’s relationships with students. She cites her public relations experience and her role as director of recruitment for Pillars for Carolina as a means to bring unity to the student body.
“I can connect to most students here on campus in some way, shape or form,” Guyton said.
Because the treasurer would be working with many different people, Guyton says it’s important to know how to communicate well with many different types of people.
“It is important that the person who is treasurer knows how to tailor the conversation to every single individual they meet,” Guyton said.
The current race is keeping her busy, but when she’s not campaigning, Guyton has an eccentric list of hobbies. As an athlete, she enjoys working out and trains through CrossFit, a demanding strength and conditioning program. Guyton’s favorite workout is Olympic lifting.
“I’m such a dynamic person; you wouldn’t really pin me as someone who would love to power clean or love to snatch,” Guyton said. “But I am. I’m very strange in that way.”
Guyton said she is using her physical training mentality of focusing on herself in the current treasurer race.
“You know your opponents (are) going to bring what they have, but you’ve just got to focus on yourself,” Guyton said. “Something that I have definitely done is focus on my strengths during this race. I know what I’m capable of, and I have to just make sure I live up to my capabilities.”
Guyton said her favorite thing about the university is its sense of community, and she hopes to incorporate that more in the treasurer’s office, as well as all of SG.
“I would really enjoy the pleasure of being able to serve this Gamecock family,” she said. “I just want to empower every aspect that I feasibly can at this campus.”