The WSU system will soon have a new student regent, as applications are due at the end of spring break.

Current Student Regent Alyssa Norris said applicants should be self-motivated, thoughtful and able to listen, and they should have effective communication skills and a love for improving WSU.

Norris said students should devote time and planning to the application process, because it requires three letters of recommendation as well as four short essay questions.

“Do your research, and play to your strengths in the application,” Norris said. “We are all unique.”

She said the steepest learning curve she experienced was understanding what all goes on behind the scenes to make the university function.

The Board of Regents website states that the student regent represents all WSU students and will hold full rights and voting privileges granted to all members of the WSU Board of Regents.

After the applications have been reviewed, the Student Regent Recommendation Committee will select candidates to be interviewed. Following interviews and deliberations, the committee chair will send three candidates to the governor’s office.

The governor’s office will then select one and recommend that person for approval in the Washington Senate, according to the Board of Regents website.

Norris said it is hard to pick a favorite moment during her term. However, she enjoyed traveling to different campuses.

“It’s a unique experience to see all the different flavors of WSU across the state,” she said.

Norris has voted on the V. Lane Rawlins Research and Education Complex project, housing and dining rates, and creating new majors within the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.

The most challenging part of her job, she said, is trying to listen to both sides of issues and sharing information with all students.

Norris encourages students to use their spring break to apply, and to contact her with questions by emailing her at [email protected] or on twitter at student_regent.