He wants a Carolina for Everyone
As student body president, Christopher Everett assures students they matter.
Christopher Everett, a senior from Clayton, North Carolina, has been Carolina’s student body president since April 2023. Participating in North Carolina Governor’s School,a five-week summer residential program for talented high school students,confirmed for him that he wanted to be in public service. Involved in student government since his first year here, he is on the pre-law track, majoring in public policy and minoring in media and journalism. He hopes to continue serving others after he graduates in May.
Continue reading for a discussion with Christopher Everett.
Why did you decide to run for student body president?
Carolina is such a huge campus. I always felt like a number, even when I was in student government. I don’t want to say I felt insignificant, but I always knew there was more that I could do. Running for this role gave me the opportunity to work towards building a Carolina for Everyone. That was my platform: wanting students to know that they are valued and seen and loved. I’ve been trying to bring that to Carolina and to student government.
What have you done as student body president that makes you proud?
I went to D.C. this past summer for the National Summit on Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. Having the White House and the U.S. Department of Education specifically ask me to speak at that summit meant so much to me. It meant a lot to me to be able to advocate for student needs on campus and to make sure that, after I leave, there still is a recognition that diversity and inclusion are very important to the Carolina community. Advocating for belonging on campus has been a large focus of mine, and I’m very proud of that.
What do you hope your legacy will be?
I want my legacy to be making sure that students know they matter. For the remainder of my time in this role, I want to look into the tangible ways I can connect folks around our campus with resources. Well-being is one thing I’m very interested in focusing on, having better facilities to support mental wellness.
I’m also interested in figuring out ways to honor Eve Carson. It’ll be 15 years [in March] since Eve passed, and so I want to make sure that she is honored again this year.
What’s your advice to students about handling challenges?
I would stress how important it is to take care of oneself. I’ve had to learn how to be OK with giving myself the grace to step back and rest. It’s not normal to only rest during breaks and when you’re not in class. I want to stress to students that your well-being really does have to be the main priority. If that’s taking up hobbies, then do that. I’ve been playing a lot of pickleball recently and also trying to learn tennis. Ever since Coco Gauff won, I’ve been on the courts.
How has this experience prepared you for the future?
I don’t know what my life is if I’m not advocating for others. I know that’s going to take me to a public service realm. This opportunity has opened my eyes to all that’s possible, and it’s given me a taste of what it means to give back to folks in tangible ways. Now I’m kind of hooked to that. I don’t know what my life is going to look like in the next 10 years, but you very well may see me on a ballot somewhere. It’s given me the assurance in and of myself that I am capable of building a better world, and I’m not going to stop until I do.
