Troy Hicks Named Wallace Community College-Dothan Student Government Association President

Dothan, Ala. – Troy Hicks, a sophomore, was recently named as the Wallace Community College – Dothan Student Government Association President. Hicks is a graduate of Ariton High School, and has served as a diplomat for WCC since his freshman year.

“Being a diplomat built my character as a person,” Hicks said. “I came to love serving others and that’s what it’s all about for me, helping others reach their full potential and serving.” Hicks said he loves Wallace, and is excited for the opportunity to lead and represent WCC through his new role.

“I love the at home feel of being at Wallace. The staff are so understanding and helpful,” he said. “My hopes for this upcoming semester are to increase student involvement by planning many events, staying very active in the community, and to begin a virtual student outreach allowing SGA members to be active not only on campus but off campus as well.”

With COVID-19 and many classes being virtual or a combination of in person and virtual, Hicks said he is coming up with ways to keep students in the know and active through social media and other platforms.  “The goal is to reach our students, keeping them involved on and off campus with virtual games and virtual events. Effectively reaching the student is the biggest challenge we face, so we must be creative and innovative with our ideas and plans on reaching our students,” Hicks said. “We have organized activities such as giveaways to raise our social media pages, so we have the opportunity to reach more students.”

Facing a pandemic while in school, and trying to lead the SGA may prove to be difficult, but Hicks is ready for the challenge and looking forward to advancing the student body during his time as president. “I am very confident in our ability to overcome the odds and make this year for our students one to remember,” he said. “Serving as the president during these circumstances is a challenge, but a challenge I see as a great opportunity to grow… We will have the ability to reach traditional students and students who choose distance learning allowing everyone to get involved.”

Hicks said many of the faculty has stood out to him and helped him, but one instructor in particular has made an impact on his outlook.

“Not only did Mrs. [Lorraine] Richardson inspire me, but I truly believe she inspired my entire class,” he said. “She encouraged us every day to smile and simply be happy. She would say life is too precious to not be happy. It really changed my perspective to be happy no matter the situation; it helps us live a better life mentally and maybe even physically.”

After graduating from Wallace, Hicks plans to attend Troy University and pursue a master’s degree.

Hicks said he is going to miss Wallace after graduating, but it will always have a special place in his heart. “I will miss the family feel [of WCC]. The staff is amazing at supporting and constantly encouraging us to get the most out Wallace,” Hicks said. “They encourage us to get involved in clubs and organizations allowing us to not only get the academic side of things but also the social side of things, allowing us to network and meet new people, and I really believe it makes a well-rounded person doing so.”

Hicks said he also made life-long friends while at Wallace, and he is going to miss them as well. “The friends I have made are like family. I designed my classes to be only on two days a week. Staying in Ariton I did not want to travel so much to Dothan, but I found myself in Dothan about 4 days a week,” he said. “It’s because those friends had such a positive effect on my life in such a short amount of time that I loved hanging out with them no matter the travel time. If that was going to church or just to hangout. We truly have grown together.”