Just like everybody else

Most people know Danica You, the former ASUW president, as an organized and business-like political science major. No one would ever guess she used to carry a red Smurfs record player around with her as a child because she loved music so much.

Just like anyone else, You has many facets to her personality. However, her public position of ASUW president is the persona everyone sees and associates with her. Though much of You's time is taken up with ASUW and school, she does have other interests.

"I like to have fun," You said. "I have friends. I am way different outside of work."

"I'm huge into music," You said. "I can't explain how much I love music."

According to You, she used to carry around a red, battery-powered Smurfs record player as a child, along with her favorite records so she could listen to them all the time.

Some of her favorite music is by Radiohead, John Coltrane, Pearl Jam and Maxwell.

You also loves to read. Some of her favorite books include "The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger and "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley.

She rooms with her best friend, who she's known since middle school, and loves talking about her cat, Tophie.

Though passionate about her outside interests, You found that being the ASUW president this past year involved sacrificing much of her free time and social life.

"It is a sacrifice to be president," You said.

Much of her time this past school year has been spent at meetings, going over budget proposals and learning how the University operates.

You said that some aspects of her job, such as attending the Board of Regents meetings, have been intimidating at times, but also that she respects the jobs that people like the regents and UW President Richard McCormick have to do.

"They really have a tough job," she said.

Obtaining the position of ASUW president was a long process for You, one that came about through pure happenstance. In fact, while growing up in Vancouver, You had dreamed of becoming a doctor.

"I really wanted to be a pediatrician," You said.

You had also planned on attending UCLA at first, but eventually decided to come to the UW instead.

"I think a lot of it was not wanting to move that far away," said You on her decision not to go to UCLA.

You spent her freshman year studying chemistry and science. She took an introduction to American government class to meet an Individual and Societies requirement, but the topics presented by her then-professor Andrea Simpson sowed an interest in politics that has since bloomed.

"Her class was one of the reasons I changed over," You said. "It helped me see that this is what I want to do."

Her sophomore year, she applied for a part-time position as a receptionist in the Student Activities Office. The woman who looked at her resume sent her over to the ASUW office instead, where clerical positions were also needed. What began as answering phones at the UW office got her promoted to be then-ASUW President Ryan Biava's executive assistant. She never envisioned that one day his office would become hers.

Her colleagues, catching sight of her drive and growing involvement in student affairs, pushed her to run for ASUW president. She was eventually persuaded to do it, though she said she had serious doubts regarding what the outcome would be.

"I honestly did not think that I would get this position," You said.

Despite being unsure of her candidacy, she started campaigning.

"I hate campaigning -- I don't recommend it for anyone," You said.

With her win, You began planning what she could accomplish while president. She was fully aware that most students don't see the importance or relevance of the ASUW in daily campus life, because she used to be one of those people.

"It definitely helped that I used to not understand what ASUW was about," You said. "My perspective was definitely not the same when I first came here."

With that understanding came the desire to get others involved.

"I wanted to help people find a niche like I did," You said.

You is graduating this spring with a degree in political science, with an emphasis in law and American government.

With graduation approaching next week, You is looking toward the future now.

"I am taking a year off to work and make some money, and then I plan on going to law school," You said.

She is taking advantage of having a year off, and is headed for Cambodia this summer.

"This is a really emotional issue," she said. You is of Cambodian descent, and will be meeting some family members for the first time on this trip.

"I will get to experience my culture in a totally different way," You said, expressing her goal of immersing herself in the local culture.

"I'm hoping that it will start a trend of traveling the world on my time off," You said. "It's another thing to experience a culture and place firsthand rather than read about it in a textbook."

With her term as ASUW president up, and her four years as an UW undergraduate up, You can look back fondly on her time here.

"I have a hard time leaving UW," You said.