9:31 a.m.

It is a brisk Monday morning in February as Government of the Student Body President Sophia Magill hurries into her office in the East Student Office Space in the Memorial Union — despite the chill, she still has a smile on her face.

She admits she is running behind schedule this morning, although with good reason — she took some time to talk to her mother on the telephone.

“It has been tough to find personal time for my friends and family [as president],” Magill said.

9:56 a.m.

After checking her e-mail and talking with others around the GSB office, Magill walks to her first class — Political Science 301, Introduction to Empirical Political Research — which is in Lagomarcino Hall.

“As GSB president, you have to be mindful that you are still a student first,” Magill said.

Although being GSB president is a full-time job — on many evenings, she has meetings and GSB obligations as late as 10 p.m., if not later — Magill has managed to take 16 credits each semester and maintain her grades.

“It’s a challenge, but you have to make the commitment,” she said.

11:51 a.m.

Magill makes her way from class to Beardshear Hall, where she participates in a student fees board meeting. This is the arena where Magill works with administrators to decide the proportion of fees from each student’s U-Bill that will be distributed to CyRide, athletics, student health, computers and other university departments. Today’s agenda involved discussions with the Thielen Student Health Center and computer fees, she said.

12:57 p.m.

Magill returns to the GSB office, where she is met by Louis Kishkunas, GSB chief of staff. Today, their weekly meeting is spent discussing potential keynote speakers at the upcoming GSB executive inauguration. All students are invited to attend this year’s inauguration and listen to the keynote speaker, who will be a state politician.

Kishkunas praised Magill for the work she has done throughout her term as GSB president.

“She’s great to work with, always positive and upbeat,” Kishkunas said. “I’ve never heard her say a bad thing about anybody.”

1:49 p.m.

After concluding her meeting with Kishkunas, Magill taps a few notes into her personal digital assistant and examines her to-do list for the week — it has more than 30 issues to be addressed. She said she has been a heavily involved person throughout her career at Iowa State.

“I went from being in 17 organizations to one as president,” Magill said.

2:01 p.m.

She leaves the GSB office to go upstairs and meet with Gail Ferlazzo, associate director of the Memorial Union. While making her way to Ferlazzo’s office, she is frequently encountered by students and administrators and does not hesitate to stop and chat with each person.

After talking with Ferlazzo about making the union more student-friendly, Magill bumps into Richard Reynolds, director of the Memorial Union.

“Sophia has been very commendable and always available as president,” Reynolds said.

5:19 p.m.

She sits down for dinner at Alpha Gamma Delta sorority house on Sunset Drive. Although she no longer lives in the house with her sorority sisters, she still catches up with them over dinner every Monday evening and participates in the sorority chapter meeting. She said she looks back on her time in the sorority with fondness and appreciation for the friends she has made and the character traits she has learned while at Iowa State.