Over winter break, Jamar Blaze Smith and Brayden Jahn traveled to Istanbul, where they put their language skills to the test by conversing with locals and ordering food in Turkish.

But now the pair are going on a different journey – the race for the offices of student body president and vice president.

If elected, they said they vow to serve the student body with fairness and without bias.

“Two words that would describe our campaign would be care and authenticity,” Jahn said. “That’s really what we haven’t gotten in previous administrations.”

The two public administration graduate students formed a close friendship after meeting in a comparative politics class in spring 2023. 

Their professor at the time, Angela El-Fayez, pointed out their similarities and encouraged them to work together in Student Government (SG). 

Jahn, 26, who currently serves in SG as a Senator and chair of the Senate Policy Committee, introduced 32-year-old Smith to SG.

Since then, Smith said he “never looked back.”

Smith ran for Tampa governor in 2024 with Jahn as his running mate but the ticket did not win. Smith is a member of the Campus Council. 

Related: USF SG presidential debate tackles immigration, free speech and more

Smith was born in North Dakota and later moved to Goldsboro, North Carolina, due to his father’s military service.

After high school, he served in the Air Force and worked as a substance abuse counselor. 

He said the military helped shape his leadership skills, taught him resilience and helped him develop his own approach to leadership.

“You get thrown into this different environment where you just kind of have to learn on the fly and it’s either sink or swim,” Smith said. 

He said he moved to Tampa because he wanted a “fresh start” after his time in the Air Force.

He said while he valued his time in the military, he knew his skills could be utilized on a larger scale.

“I love the community here, and people have given me so much that I want to give back,” Smith said. “If I can help 50,000 students, that can go so much further. I just care about people and I want to serve them.”

Jahn is a Brandon native but said USF is his home.

“I’ve always lived in the distance, seeing that big old water tower,” Jahn said. “It’s a home university for me, and I know this is my community.”

Jahn said he believes collaboration in previous administrations has “faltered,” due to lack of communication within the SG sections.

Related: USF SG ethics investigation into student body pres, VP faces setback

For Jahn, one of the most influential people in his life is his mentor, Ken Williams, whom he considers a second father figure.

“I didn’t have the best home life growing up,” Jahn said. “My dad was kind of to the side, so I had a pseudo, adopted dad that helped me become the person I am. If I could get an endorsement from anyone, it would be him.”

For Smith, his biggest inspiration is his mother.

“I have a super sweet and soft spot for my mom,” Smith said. “She’s shaped my character, empathy and authenticity.”

However, Smith said he has seen his mom “being taken advantage of.” 

“It breaks my heart to see so many good people just succumb to things like mental health or abuse, financial situations, whatever the case may be,” Smith said.

When reflecting on his interests, Smith said he’s a huge anime fan. His favorite one is “Naruto,” which he even has a tattoo of.

“I’m a huge nerd behind the scenes,” Smith said. “I might seem super social, but I do have a battery. I just like to recharge and lay back, watch anime and game. That’s my solitude time.”

Outside of politics, Jahn is passionate about culture, history and linguistics. 

He is studying Turkish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Russian and Ukrainian and hopes to use language to connect with others. 

Related: OPINION: Why you should study abroad at USF

As voting approaches, Smith and Jahn emphasized their commitment to fairness, transparency and student advocacy.

Above all, they said they want to ensure every student feels heard and represented.

“We stand for something different,” Jahn said. “We genuinely are here to help.”

Jahn said the ticket wants to help students through their concerns, such as budgets, parking, cheaper alternatives for food and more sustainability options. 

“We represent that, and we want to show them that,” he said.

This article is part of a “Meet the Candidates” series for all tickets running in the presidential election. You can find the other articles in the series here.

The other tickets running in the race are: Sumit Jadhav (candidate for student body president) and Caio Esmeraldi (candidate for student body vice president); and Bita Aliakbarzadeh (candidate for student body president) and Alyssa Hubbard (candidate for student body vice president).