We have the opportunity to guide the course of University policy for the coming decade. With a change in administration, it is especially important that there is continuity in student leadership to both advocate for student-centered decision making and ensure that the pieces of Wake we hold so dear remain a priority. Having served as Speaker of the House for the past year following two terms in the Student Government as senator and Diversity and Inclusion Co-Chair, I am uniquely qualified to fulfill the duties of President during this period of change. 

A cornerstone of my Presidency will be continuing to push for increased mental health resources, namely through ensuring that student-counselor relationships are not cut short by high turnover rates and short staffing. As the student representative for the University Counseling Center’s new director search, I was able to bring these values into the active hiring process, redirecting conversations that ran counter to student interests and resulting in the hire of a director with whom I can work to create tangible change.

Along the same lines, I am an advocate for student employees. While maintaining a standard of academic achievement and engaging in extracurricular activities, Resident Advisors and other student employees consistently prioritize their peers.  It is imperative that, in return, student leadership holds administration accountable for supporting these workers. The new flexibility clause is just one example of a flawed policy which unduly burdens this support and which I plan to oppose.

Current reporting procedures are inadequate for survivor support and ineffective for equitable accountability.  This summer, I worked alongside a coalition of students and administrators to bolster Title IX protections in the wake of changing federal guidelines, ensuring that the national scaling back of survivor protections could not adversely impact the Wake community.  In my term, I will continue to fight for policies that balance providing avenues for confidential support with improving reporting options that lead to results that center survivor wellbeing.

It is imperative that avenues of accountability for acts of racial and otherwise motivated bias are handled with the utmost seriousness and sincerity.  As Student Government President, I will continue the work I’ve begun on the President’s Commission on Race, Equity, and Community and the Fraternity and Sorority Life Task Force on DE&I to challenge the incidence of bias in our community.  This is not a one-step solution, and requires concerted efforts across campus spaces to make Wake feel like a true home for all students. The bottom line is that Pro Humanitate needs to be more than just a motto.

I am a junior from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey studying Politics and International Affairs and Anthropology.  The work I intend to do as President aligns with my deeply held conviction toward equity which I hope to pursue through a career advocating for civil and human rights in the legal profession. My biggest support system is my family, including my six siblings: Anna, Peter, Matthew, Mary, Joshua, and Joseph. I hope you will consider voting for me on Tuesday, April 13th.

Thank you!