Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
These 1st Year students, man. They just blow me away.
I have been so extremely impressed with the Class of 2015 so far. In every effort I've seen from them, whether it's football, chili, impressing recruiters, or rocking their first quarter of classes, they have poured their hearts and souls into making this year a truly exemplary year for all of us.
Earlier this year, the SOM Student Government launched the 4029 Initiative (2014 + 2015, get it? Math!) to help integrate the two classes (as well as the newly expanded MAM cohort) right from the get-go, and boy has that paid off in droves. Already, there is an immense buzz on campus as 2015ers apply for club leadership roles, prepare their various talents for Star Search and Coffeehouse, and dress to impress for the start of recruiting season.
But nowhere is their level of engagement more present than in Student Government elections. This year we saw a record 57 (!!!) candidates for 15 roles. (This is about a 90% increase from last year, with only a 16% increase in class size.) The turnout (88% - 3 points higher than last year) was truly impressive, and I was floored by the caliber of the candidates, their speeches, and campaigns. As with everything SOM, the election process was cordial, candid, and had a celebratory feel to it, and there was no mudslinging nor finger-pointing throughout. Every single candidate was an exemplar of what SOM has to offer, and I didn't envy any of the 1st Years who had to decide who to cast their ballots for.
A little background on Student Government (SG) at SOM: As a governing body, it's been around for 10 years, and in that time it has gained a legitimacy and strategic vision that I have never seen paralleled at any other academic institution. Whereas club leaders and teaching & research assistants are excellent at furthering expertise in their given areas, we view SG as the student-facing arm of SOM's overall strategic vision, here to help execute on school-wide initiatives, and make SOM and even better place to get an MBA in the long-run.
Congrats to everyone who ran, and especially to my new 1st Year counterpart, Alexa. You've all really raised the bar, and I'm so excited to work with you.
The Winners:
Academic Affairs Chair: Brenen Blair
Admissions Chair: Alexa Allen
Alumni Affairs Chair: Rayyan Kamal
Career Development Chair: Rob Wu
Clubs & Finance Chair: Cliff Emmanuel
Communications & Marketing Chair: Emily Caruso
Student Life Chair: Carson Li
Technology & Operations Chair: Waleed Nasir
Blue Cohort Representative: Anne-Claire Roesch
Green Cohort Representative: Rachel Levy
Gold Cohort Representative: Graham Browne
Silver Cohort Representative: Phil Andraos
MAM Representative: Andrea Zapata Sosa
GPSS Senators: Eric Gershman & Hugo Santillan
Photos by Alina Vorobeitchik '14.