Ryker Moss is running for Southern Utah University’s 2026-2027 student body president with Austin Isom as his vice president. The sophomores are campaigning on a platform that promises to improve clarity, connection and contribution on campus.
Moss, a psychology student at SUU, serves as president of The Flock — a student involvement organization that encourages T-Birds to engage in campus events, serve others and develop leadership skills. Both Moss and his running mate, Isom, served missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and believe those experiences prepared them for student leadership.
Isom, an exercise science major, was also a manager of a summer sales team, which showed him how much he loves working with people.
Moss first met Isom in a frozen river up Cedar Canyon. A mutual friend of theirs invited them to do a cold plunge, and the pair hit it off and formed a friendship.
“It wasn’t even on my radar to run for student body president or vice president until Ryker was like, ‘Hey, I’ve been really thinking I should do this and I would love for you to be my vice president,’” Isom admitted.
Isom believed in Moss and agreed to support him, but the campaign process showed him how he could use his experience to make a difference.
“The biggest reason why we want to have this position is so we can help as many students here as possible,” he said. “I love talking to people. I love meeting new people and this is a great opportunity for me to actually put that passion of mine into practice.”
While the two friends love SUU, they both remember feeling confused during their freshman year.
“We decided to run because at SUU, there’s great resources,” Moss said. “But what we felt is that the tension came from a lack of clarity, where students didn’t have the visibility they needed for those great resources.”
Moss and Isom plan to work with the Assistant Coaches for Excellence and Success, Academic Advisors and campus departments to increase academic clarity.
“One thing we plan to do is create a centralized resource guide,” Moss said. “It’ll be physical and digital, and they can go to their stage in college, they can go to a list of questions that they might have … They can flip it right open, go exactly to what they’re confused about, and it’s right there.”
They believe that when students are able to understand the resources available, they will have the time to explore all of the opportunities offered on campus.
“We feel like when students are engaged, that’s when they start to thrive,” Moss said.
Another way the pair plan to improve student experience is by working with SUU alumni, who are experienced in the workforce, and inviting them to engage with students more often.
The duo emphasized how much they have enjoyed this campaigning experience.
“This experience has helped me realize, like, there’s just so many amazing people here that I don’t know,” Isom said.
If they are elected into leadership positions, Isom looks forward to getting to know more students in that capacity. Moss and Isom have enjoyed meeting students face-to-face and raising awareness for their campaign and the election in general.
“We feel like they should consider voting, not even necessarily for us, but just in general, because only 10% of the school typically votes every single year,” Moss said. “Our goal is to increase those numbers.”
The running mates have vowed to run a lap around SUU’s track for each student who votes this year.
Primary voting is open until 5 p.m. today. Check out all student body president and vice president candidates’ platforms on SUU News.
Author: Heather Turner
Photo by Heather Turner
Editor: Brooklyn Beard
life@suunews.net
