Student Body President Johanna Ajayi on TXST’s growth, the Pac-12 era, and her new role

Texas State University junior Johanna Ajayi felt like campaigning for student body president took five years of her life. She was tired and had little time to rest in between events, but win or lose, she was giving it her all.

“I didn’t know how the tide was going to turn,” said Ajayi, who is majoring in finance and minoring in business law. “It was really stressful. Even after people were telling me, ‘If you don’t win, give me back my vote,’ I just didn’t know.”

Ajayi’s mother usually doesn’t drive long distances, but she drove to campus from Houston to surprise her daughter the day the election results were set to be announced.

“I was shocked,” Johanna said. “I don’t remember the last time she drove here by herself. That helped calm my nerves.”

When Ajayi was on her way to the LBJ Student Center to hear the votes, she hit rush hour traffic and arrived late. She missed the executive ticket results, which included the position she was running for. As soon as she entered the room, the roar from the students was her sign she had been elected as the first Black female and African student body president at TXST.

Ajayi knows she has the qualities of a good leader and has been involved in student government since middle school in some capacity—she was a class president in middle school and vice president in high school.

As a freshman at TXST, she was in freshman council where she learned the ins and outs of student government. As a sophomore, she was a senator where she helped bring attention to the need for a bus transit app and health and safety vending machines in residence halls.

As student body president, she knows her work is cut out for her to make impactful change, especially at a time of incredible growth as the university reached another record-breaking fall for enrollment—more than 47,000 students.

“As the university is growing, we are getting more professors and making things more accessible,” she said. “We’re having more classes on Fridays to be flexible for students. We’re providing even more opportunities for more first-gen students to graduate.

“Even though we have so many students, if you put in the effort to get involved and plugged in, there are so many resources here for you.”

Ajayi recognizes the importance of TXST’s first year in the Pac-12 Conference, so much so that she appointed the first director of athletic affairs, Hailey Brooke Bowen, to her cabinet to ensure more students cheer on the Bobcats at all sporting events.

“I’m so happy we’re doing it during my term because it’s so fun to be part of this change,” Ajayi said. “This will make our degrees more prominent and offer students additional value and opportunities by being associated with the conference.

“We’re letting students know what this means. Our director is a student-athlete, so she knows how to get the students to the games and how to make our athletes more connected to the school.”

Ajayi’s team is currently partnering with the Division of Student Success and the Student Recreation Center on two initiatives. One is turning one of the signature Homecoming events, Boko’s Glow Run, into a pink run for breast cancer awareness since it occurs in October. The other, planned for later in the spring, is focused on men’s mental health with her “Spot a Bro” program to encourage conversation and connection while working out.

With the university quickly gaining state and national prominence, the 2026-2027 student body president feels the large amount of attention on TXST—and she’s ready for the challenge.

“A lot of people haven’t recognized me yet, and it just makes me feel like I have to continue to do as many good things for the school and for everyone watching,” she said.