SBP hopeful Bradley Opere talks big goals, YoPo and feeling the beat

You’ve seen his name and face all over campus, but for those of you who haven’t had a chance to meet Bradley Opere, The Tab sat down with the Business Administration major running for UNC Student Body President.

The junior from Nairobi, Kenya, talks about his campaign hashtag, goals for the future and his favorite YoPo flavor.

Do you have any specific goals you want to accomplish after college?

I see myself doing one of two things: working in consulting or starting my own business. Or working for the government back home – for a political party in Kenya. If I got a really good job for the government back home, that would be my dream job.

What do you promise the student body if you are elected?

I think we’ll be able to bring in a lot of different groups that don’t work together on the same page, which is something that I’ve always been very passionate about and I always wanted to see. I don’t think I could have done that with my position in cabinet previously.

What I’d definitely love to see next year is more attendance at different minority events on campus beyond just minority students. Small things like that show different people on campus that it’s not just them who care about their own issues, but everyone actually cares.

I think that’s the main promise that I want to give coming into this year. That’s what all of our policies are geared towards – bringing everyone together within spaces that I think people previously never thought about. Especially with upperclassmen who get into different bubbles and stick to those bubbles.

Can you explain your hashtag #feelthebeat?

Well for one, I really love dancing. I felt that the hashtag had the right element of fun to it because that’s another thing I want to incorporate into student government. It’s also about music because music brings people together.

If there’s music at a party, you see everyone dancing. No one cares if you’re good or bad – everyone’s just breaking their move. “Feel the beat” also implies that student government should always be tuned into what students are feeling. You can’t feel a beat unless you’re actually listening.

What’s your favorite YoPo flavor?

I always keep it vanilla. It’s kind of sad, really. But then I’ll usually add a different one. I must say that I also really do like Sweet Frog.

What is your favorite spot on campus?

I have a really good favorite spot but I’ve only been there once. The balcony on the Student Stores. It’s so beautiful.

Can you sum up your Carolina experience in one word?

Rollercoaster. With its highs and lows but still a good ride.

Describe yourself in three words.

I guess daring. Because I feel like running for this election, I’ve really pushed it. Maybe caring? I think that’s been a big part of everything because I think you really need to care about the job. The debates and everything are so difficult that one thing you fall back on is reminding yourself you really love the job and you want to do it.

I would also just go with innovative. One thing that I’ve been very happy about us doing is the YouTube video series we have inside our platform. So, say you host a philanthropy event. You can then send us a video and we will re-edit it with a video team that is working 24/7.

Then we will send it out because we have a wider reach. That’s student government’s comparative advantage. It reaches more people than anyone else can do in their immediate circle.

Elections will take place on February 9th.