Photo Courtesy of Henry Sule '24
They come from different parts of the world, but ý and Sioux Falls have connected the 2024-25 Augustana Student Association (ASA) president and vice president in ways they never could have imagined.
In sitting down with ASA President Annie Johnston ‘25, of Sioux Falls, and Prince Adhikari ‘26, of Nepal, they genuinely seem to love working with one another — often shaking their heads in agreement, complimenting one another, giving each other room to speak and using a lot of the same verbiage. It’s no surprise the two share the same majors and similar interests. Johnston, a history and government & international affairs double major, is pursuing work in political advocacy in Washington, D.C., or Chicago, Illinois, and eventually wants to go law school. Adhikari, who wants to get his Ph.D., eventually a J.D. and conduct research in American politics, is also double majoring in history and government & international affairs. Johnston joked that she talked him into adding history to his list of majors.
And, Augustana wasn’t always at the top of either of their lists when considering where to go to college. Johnston, who wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay in the place where she grew up, narrowed her choices down to three — what she called a “Goldilocks” list, which consisted of a small, medium and large school.
“I’m sure you hear this from a lot of people who are raised in Sioux Falls: ‘I’m going to go somewhere else. I’m going to go to a bigger city,’ and I wanted that. But, I also wanted an education of enduring value, even after I graduated — where I could go to employers, admission teams for graduate schools and they would be like, ‘Oh, you’re an Augustana graduate.’ I knew I could do that if I came here, and if I set myself up well, I would have a lot of opportunities in the future,” explained Johnston, whose father, Rob Johnston ‘92, is an Augustana alumnus.
As the student body president at Washington High School, it was a natural transition for Johnston to get involved in ASA. And, she has been elected to an ASA position for four consecutive years — in the senate, and now, as president.
“It was an easy way for me to get involved with something that I was already familiar with that I was passionate about — a really good way to get adjusted to life at Augie outside of the classroom setting,” said Johnston.
Adhikari was in the United Kingdom (UK) education system while in Nepal, which included a pathway that led to the University of Cambridge after two years. Involved in debates and Model United Nations (MUN) — a program where students act as delegates to the United Nations (UN) — he enjoyed travelling to the U.S. and competing against prestigious universities. The COVID-19 pandemic unraveled that pathway and universities on the coast were pretty unresponsive, so he started asking his high school classmates where to look next…one of them told him to look at ý. While AU didn’t have a Model UN, Adhikari’s admission counselor was persistent and told him to start one.
“I started Model UN my first year. I thought that would pretty much be my four years here at Augie,” said Adhikari, who said he felt Augustana was a place he could “belong.”
But, Adhikari wasn’t attracted to ASA and the group’s leadership wasn’t able to persuade him into running for a senate position. Instead, ASA convinced him to become its technical director.
“I’ve always been in the executive branch so the nature of my responsibility has been different from hers (Johnston’s). It’s more about talking to administrators, a public relations kind of role — representing the president and vice president in a way. I liked it,” Adhikari said.
Eventually persuaded to run for top leadership positions by their peers, Johnston and Adhikari both needed a running mate and found each other.
“I saw the work that he (Adhikari) did with revitalizing our social media presence, so I knew that he had great communication skills, but actually stepping up and implementing change,” said Johnston.
“I had seen Annie for three years, you know, talking when it’s only necessary — not just talking to get attention,” said Adhikari. “We (the executive branch) could really see her committee actually doing stuff.”
They had all the makings of a great team. And, now, with a semester under their belt as president and vice president, listening, connecting and having fun is what has guided them through the 2024-25 academic year thus far.
“We were very conscious of the fact that this was an election year and a pretty contentious one, and we wanted to build on the university’s efforts with the Curiosity, Courage & Civility election initiative. We created a lot of partnerships and then hosted our Election Watch Party Extravaganza on election day. I was really proud of that. We had almost 300 students there,” said Johnston. “It was wonderful just to see that students can come together in a way that’s collaborative and that even though we have differences, we’re able to share the same room together.”
One of the key differences of this administration compared to those in the past is that a strategic plan, approved by the ASA Senate, is guiding them. Rooted in Augustana’s core values, the plan is focused on four major areas: innovation, Viking community spirit, sustainability and enduring commitments.
“Things start becoming chaotic when 30 people are trying 30 different things. That’s why we built a strategic plan — an outcome of our meetings with around 35 stakeholders from across campus, including administrators and major student groups,” said Johnston. “When we were in the meetings, we posed the question, like, ‘Forget about the money for now, if you really want to see change at Augie or see ASA collaborate with you on something, what would that be?’ We had our journals filled in three months and then we went back and tried to consolidate everything.”
Johnston and Adhikari then looked at problems or ideas that aligned with their mission and what was within their capacity to actually get done. Along the way, they tried to reduce unnecessary costs — making tough decisions along the way, but coming up with new and innovative initiatives.
In 2024, ASA was very fortunate in that the city of Sioux Falls reimagined its public transportation system — revamping the Sioux Metro System (SAM) and partnering with Via, a new transit provider, to provide residents and visitors with transportation that’s more efficient, accessible and convenient. That meant less of a strain on ASA’s budget in purchasing Lyft passes for students to get around the city.
“The rides are set at $1.50 for a ride anywhere in town through Via. That’s a really financially sustainable decision for students to make, so we cut back on our Lyft passes,” Johnston explained. “We’re not spending $80,000-$90,000 a year on Lyft — it’s just crazy how many other things we can get accomplished on campus and benefit a wider variety, a wider population of students.”
Because of this, ASA was able to create a fellowship program — providing “scholarships” to students who have a tough time finding experiential learning opportunities on- and off-campus. For example, ASA had issues with their election software. Instead of outsourcing the work to a company, they chose to hire a student to do it, which can go on their resume.
After meeting with Josh Morton, vice president of athletics, and his team, as well as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), ASA launched the OLE Advantage Program to help increase awareness and attendance at athletic events. Rolled out in late November, the loyalty program offers points for students who attend certain athletic events throughout the year. Students who earn the most points by the end of the year receive rewards, such as flight vouchers and Augustana merchandise — something they hope will gain more traction during the spring semester.
In an effort to provide transparency, ASA has also enhanced its media efforts and held its first-ever ASA Mid-Year Update, where the duo gave an update on student affairs, key accomplishments and their vision for the future. At the update, they also honored “student organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation and impact on campus.” In addition, ASA honored Heather Edmonds Reed, co-director of international programs, for her dedicated service to the student body.
Hosted by the Diversity, Equity & Social Justice Committee, ASA’s next big event will consist of the fourth annual Diversity Summit, held in April.
“(This position has taught me) not to be reactive,” Adhikari said. “We get so many emails, so many questions, let’s say demands — we have to be cautious before making final decisions. Also, being able to think critically, which I think is important for both of us given the road ahead in our careers.”
“We have not rushed things on our end. We have taken the time to build stuff. I think the key to this is communication and making sure that we are going through every channel prior to making decisions,” Johnston said.
“It’s stressful, it’s high-risk sometimes, but this position has also taught me that leadership can be fun,” said Johnston. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done. I’m proud of the people who have been open to collaborating and listening to us and allowing us to listen to them. I just love the community here at Augie.”
For more information on ASA, its strategic plan and the 2025-26 candidates, visit augie.edu/ASA and follow ASA on Instagram .