Growing up in Lewiston, Seyi Arogundade, was drawn to journalism and political science.
She liked reading newspapers and watching TV news and saw how journalism and politics were intertwined. Her writing and news gathering skills earned Arogundade a slot on the Lewiston High School newspaper and, along with a classmate, she was the face of a morning on-camera broadcast providing students with the latest high school news and events.
“I think I was always interested in what journalists do and how it shapes the political world,” Arogundade said. “I learned public speaking skills doing the morning announcements and being on the student council in high school.”
Arogundade, who is this year’s ASUI president, hasn’t lost her interest in either discipline. She’s set on graduating Spring ’26 with degrees in journalism and political science.
“I’m combining my passions,” she said.
For the second-generation Vandal, choosing to enroll in classes on the Moscow campus was a straightforward decision. She had fond memories of visiting campus when her father — her dad earned an agricultural engineering degree at U of I — was a doctoral student, and the university is just a half hour drive from her hometown. U of I also offered the programs she planned to pursue.
In Moscow, she immediately directed her focus to student leadership.
“One of my memorable experiences was, when I was a senior in high school, we came to the campus as part of UIdaho Bound,” she said.
She heard then-ASUI-president Tanner McClain give a presentation to would-be students.
“His speech was inspirational,” she said. “I wanted to be able to command the room like that, to inspire other people. I made it my goal; I really wanted his job someday.”
Once enrolled as a Vandal, she joined several executive leadership boards and began her climb to the president’s office, eventually earning a role as chief of staff to former President Martha Smith. That’s where she learned what being ASUI president was all about.
“I was interested in ASUI from the start,” she said. “I just had to learn how to get in the door.”
For Arogundade, who is the first black woman to be elected as ASUI president, leadership represents an opportunity to ensure diverse voices are heard.
She and Vice President Bryant Sitts, “want to make sure all our students know we’re here to work for them and serve them,” she said.
An advocate for student involvement, Arogundade encourages fellow Vandals to take part in campus life including student government. She wants to boost ASUI’s engagement with the community and inspire students to be enthusiastic about University of Idaho.
“If you want your voice to be heard, you need to be in these rooms,” she said. “You need to be in these spaces, and you need to be in these positions.”
Arogundade’s new role was almost stymied last spring following her April election win.
Feeling drained and under the weather, she was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation, fatigue, joint pain and can result in organ damage.
Arogundade spent a week in the hospital, then spent the summer recovering at her parent’s new home in North Dakota where her dad is a college dean.
“Right after the presidential election my body felt like it was breaking down, and I didn’t know what was going on,” she said.
Running for ASUI president may have taken a toll, she said.
“Part of me had so much anxiety and self-doubt to even run,” she said. “But people kept telling me you can do it; you can be one of the first. I had to really push myself just to put myself out there.”
Her diagnosis came as a shock, she said.
I wanted to be able to command the room like that, to inspire other people.
Seyi Arogundade
ASUI president, undergraduate in political science, journalism
“At first, it was kind of an emotional roller coaster, dealing with this diagnosis and immediately afterwards the learning curve of how to successfully run an administration.”
Success has come. Most recently, her team and senators developed a plan to make the funding process for Vandal clubs more transparent. In the past, funding requests were submitted, and clubs could be denied funding without explanation. Under the latest plan, the amount of funding for clubs and their purpose will be publicly discussed; senators will be assigned to club requests, and a director of finance will openly handle disbursements.
Arogundade has also let her journalism prowess shine. She was chosen by NOTUS — a nonprofit Washington D.C. news publication that covers national politics and government — as one of 22 journalism students from campuses across the U.S.A. to contribute an essay on “What Washington doesn’t get about young Americans.”
After graduation, Arogundade plans to prepare for law school. Her college journey so far, and its many highs, she said, keep projecting her forward.
“My college experience at U of I has kept me motivated,” she said. “I learned so much here and had so many opportunities that helped me get out of my comfort zone. Just being in this role is a huge gift, being able to be in these rooms and speak in front of people that I normally wouldn’t, it’s super empowering and super impactful.”