If you’ve ever met Brooke Betik, you know that she is everything. She also does everything. As a sophomore, she’s a leader in Student Senate and Program Council; a part of Alpha Chi Omega, SMU Pom Squad, SMU LOOK, and the University Honors Program; and she’s served as an Orientation Leader and now, a Student Ambassador. On top of all of that, Brooke is studying journalism, human rights, and advertising with minors in graphic design and law & legal reasoning. This Ennis native, by way of Madison, is now eying the Student Body Vice President role. Let’s catch our breath (what a bio) and get to know Brooke.
Describe yourself in three words.
Passionate. Ambitious. Intentional.
What is your favorite quote/mantra?
“Give a damn.”
What’s your style?
“Brooke.” My style is a mixture of everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Maggie Rogers to Carrie Bradshaw. I really just kind of do my own thing & apparently that’s worked – my friends have always labeled me the fashionable friend.
Describe your journey. How’d you get here?
Since before I even arrived at SMU, I knew I wanted to get involved in Student Senate & go far. As a first-year senator, I worked with then-Vice President Molly Patrick on initiatives like the newly launched safety app, ways to improve the Title IX reporting process for victims, and worked with the Office of Student Support to support The Shop, a resource for students who may be experiencing food insecurity or otherwise lacking basic necessities. As Student Body Secretary, I worked with my fellow Student Body Officers to bring the Boulevard back (like for real this time!), return us safely to campus in the middle of a pandemic, meet the ABS demands from this past summer to make SMU more inclusive, run the Code of Conduct revisions process, & countless other projects. The Secretary job is a largely internal one, meaning that most of my job this past year was behind the scenes work like organizing chamber every week, taking attendances, running all of the Zoom logistics in order for Senate to even happen. While I have loved my time as Secretary, my real passion for this work is in representing & amplifying the student voice, which is literally the exact job description for Student Body Vice President.
What’s your theme song?
“On a Roll” by Ashley O. Also, anything Taylor Swift (note from author: anyone who knows Brooke knows she lives in the folklore/evermore universe 25/8).
Why SMU?
When applying to schools my senior year, I ended up applying 18 different places. I had an older sister who went here & while I loved everything about her experience, I was still in that phase where I wanted more than anything to be ~original~ & ~quirky~. Eventually, when it came down to what I really wanted in a college experience, I always thought back to a piece of advice I had been given by a tour guide on another campus: “Go to college where you feel at home.” SMU was & has been that for me; from the buildings to the professors to the dining hall staff to Dallas Hall Lawn to my fellow students, every moment I have gone to school here has felt like home.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Flying or traveling or adventuring alone! I love pretending like I’m the main character in a coming-of-age film, ordering an oat milk latte & staring out a window like I’m having some serious revelation about the meaning of life.
What’s your uniform (i.e. what you wear on the daily)?
Vejas. Outdoor Voices exercise dress. Madewell sweatshirt. Simple gold jewelry. SuperGoop Glow Screen with Vitamin C.
What’s your greatest achievement?
Definitely being elected Student Body Secretary as a first-year here at SMU. I really stepped into the role with little to no guidance & ran with it, getting more done as Secretary than most get done during all four of their years on Senate. I single handedly redefined what being Secretary meant, so much so that six super driven senators are now wanting to fill my shoes!
How do you balance your busy schedule?
A color-coded Apple calendar & a severe caffeine addiction. Also reminding myself how lucky I am to be able to do all that I do & staying grateful for the opportunity to be as busy as I am.
What’s your go-to accessory?
My dramatic Target sunglasses. If you’ve seen me on campus, you know the ones.
What’s been the highlight of your time at SMU?
Honestly the highlights of my SMU experience have been the little moments – staying up with my roommate chatting about life, laying on Dallas Hall Lawn on a perfect day with my closest friends, walking into Einstein’s to get coffee after a bad morning & being greeted by the warmth of the staff members there. My highlight is a mosaic piece made out of all of these warm fuzzy moments that remind me why I am where I am.
What drove you to run for Student Body VP?
The people I walk past on my way to class, eat with in the dining hall, study with in Fondren, sit next to in class – my fellow mustangs make me want to make SMU better.
What’s your favorite fashion trend?
Cow print everywhere. I’m obsessed & feel like it really matches my brand.
What are the top 3 items in your online shopping cart?
The new Madewell x Parks Project line, cow print booties, & a new formal dress!
If you could walk the runway for one fashion designer, who would it be and why?
Oscar de la Renta – they have literally designed at least one look for every single person who I idolize & I would love to be on that list.
What’s your favorite TV show/movie?
TV: Parks & Recreation (I literally am Leslie Knope), How I Met Your Mother, Schitt’s Creek, Sex & the City, New Girl
Movies: Legally Blonde (obvi), Devil Wears Prada, Spotlight, Love Actually
What is one thing you wore freshman year that you STILL wear today?
My pom uniforms & red cowboy boots! Being on SMU Pom & representing the university I love most through the art form I love most (dance) has been just the best!
What is your “why”? Why do you do what you want to do?
Ever since I was a little kid, I have been notorious for never shutting up – I love to talk to people around me, get to know their hearts, their “why,” their passions. I guess the easiest way to put it is my “why” is everyone on this campus. I value connectedness over everything, and in being connected to the SMU community both through Senate & through my countless other involvements for the past two years, I have found that while our school is great, we as a student body collectively agree that we deserve better.
Why do you think you’re the best fit to be SMU’s Student Body VP?
Experience, passion, relationships & trust already built with administrators, original platform initiatives that go beyond things that Senate is already doing, the list goes on. I think anyone who has ever spoken to me on this campus has seen my fire & drive for leaving this school better than I found it, a passion that is unmatched by any other candidate or student otherwise. That is what makes me the best candidate for the job.
