Computing Student Steps Up as SGA Executive Vice President

While many people claim on LinkedIn to be highly motivated, Georgia Tech’s Richard Wang isn’t kidding around.

Along with pursuing a computer science degree with a minor in business and computing through the Stephen A. Denning Technology and Management Program, the fourth-year student works throughout the year as a developer at The Home Depot, and he is active in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

Added to this, Wang currently serves as the Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Vice President for Undergraduates.

“The purpose of student government is to represent and serve the needs of the student body,” says Wang. “We want to work together with Georgia Tech administration to provide every student with the best possible Yellow Jacket experience.”

Representing 15,000+ Undergrads

Wang is no stranger to service. In fact, he has been serving in student government since he arrived on campus in 2014. That year, Wang began a two-year stint representing his class in the Undergraduate House of Representatives. He was then elected as Speaker of the House in August 2016.

Wang began his term as SGA executive vice president in April of this year. In this role, he represents more than 15,000 undergraduate students.

“Most people might not know that we have office hours every weekday where students are able to connect with an SGA representative about their questions and concerns,” says Wang.

As for what he’d most like to accomplish during his term as vice president, Wang believes that the SGA could be restructured to better meet students’ needs.

“The current model we follow is outdated and I believe that we can better utilize the talent and passion of our members to create an even better Georgia Tech,” explains Wang.

A Go-Getter for Quite Some Time

Wang says he is motivated in large part by his friends and the Georgia Tech community. But looking back to his high school career, it is obvious that Wang has been a go-getter for quite some time.

As a student at Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia, Wang excelled in math and science. This, along with excellent classwork and other factors, led to his selection in 2012 as a Young Scholars intern at the University of Georgia’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

However, not content with academic success alone, Wang was also a member of the school’s wrestling team. He won a state title in the Class AAA wrestling championships in 2013 as a junior.

It was around this time that Wang started to become interested in pursuing a career in computer science. He says that competing on the robotics team in high school “made (him) realize how amazing technology is and how the possibilities are endless.”

With lots of solid leadership experience ­– and a wealth of computing and business knowledge – Wang plans to pursue these endless possibilities in the workforce following his graduation in the spring of 2019.

“I want to be able to work with emerging technologies as a product or project manager and really push the bounds of what’s possible to help streamline business processes and improve customer service.”