Student Assembly Candidate Profiles - Fall 2021 Election
Candidates for the Freshman Representative seats
Candidates for the Transfer Representative seat
College of Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
phd42
Freshman Representative
Hello Class of 2025! My name is Pedro Da Silveira and I’m from Fairfax, Virginia and plan on studying biomedical engineering. A fun fact about me is that I love food and nothing appalls me more than the long lines at Appel and RPCC after a long day of lectures, labs, and club meetings. As your class rep, I’ll lead the SA to work with Cornell Dining to provide pre-packaged to-go meals so students can simply swipe in, pick up a box, and leave-- greatly reducing line traffic and COVID risk for students dining in. Additionally, I want to work with Bear Necessities to introduce delivery options. New food couriers will deliver orders to a customer’s dorm, ensuring that students can get their late-night snacks and groceries contact, hassle, and pain free. In addition, I want to ensure that every floor of every dorm has a large recycling bin accessible for everyone to use (no more long midnight trips outside in the cold to throw away packages that arrived late from RPCC (what’s up with that?! ). Together we can make this year the best it can be. As Napoleon Dynamite said it best: “Vote for Pedro!”
Jeffrey Huang
College of Engineering
Computer Science
sjh292
Freshman Representative
I'm happy to support the Class of 2025, and I feel confident in having ideas to contribute. My first goal is to ensure that everyone's ideas are heard, and I will always seek your feedback as to what you want from me. Not only have I worked in high school student council for three years and volunteer experience writing an app, but I also have strong communication and project organization skills. In my CS internship, I collaborated with my mentor to clarify project requirements and implement features in an organized and prioritized manner. In another event, I worked with a team to brainstorm ideas, reach out for feedback and advice, and present ideas to a board. Being a student assembly representative fits my skills well, and I'd love to use my communication, public speaking, and project management skills to listen to, help, and support you in your time at Cornell. Platform:
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Decrease the use of plastic utensils and plates in dining halls.
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Ensure that no student struggles with purchasing computers, textbooks, and other school supplies.
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Develop more resources to help students manage their time.
These are complex issues, but with the help of my fellow representatives, we will work towards a solution.
Andrew Juan
College of Human Ecology
Healthcare Policy
adj56
Freshman Representative
With the Right Juan, We CAN!
Hi! My name is Andrew Juan, and I’m a healthcare policy major in the College of Human Ecology! Our Student Assembly (SA) has a lot of issues to address this semester, and it’d be an honor to serve as your freshman representative. My campaign is focused on how we CAN.
C: Community
Our community is splintered by this ongoing pandemic, which is why I made the Cornell2025.com website. I continue to be dedicated to ensuring that we can connect with each other. We CAN create meaningful connections.
A: Accessibility & Transparency
Our current financial billing process is so convoluted, it’s like reading the fine print at the bottom of an ad for a new medicine. These fees often can’t be covered by financial aid and can make Cornell inaccessible. A Cornell education was meant for “any person,” and unexpected fees are an unnecessary burden for all. We CAN increase financial transparency.
N: News About the SA
Do you know what the SA does? Heck, do you even know what the SA is? As your rep, I will ensure that you know what I’m doing for you, and how we’re working to improve the student experience here. If the SA isn’t doing what you want it to do, we CAN change it.
Want to learn more? Visit andrewjuan.com!
Sammie Lambourne
College of Human Ecology
Policy Analysis and Management
sjl338
Freshman Representative
As your Freshman Representative I will be the liaison for YOUR voice. I hope to help make the transition from high school to college more comfortable by implementing your ideas, working to address concerns, and being a resource to you. As a Brazilian-American from Orlando, Florida, I understand the importance of feeling connected to a community, I hope to be the representative that can make Cornell your sense of community. If I don't know the solution I assure you I will work to find it for you, striving to not only represent you, but to be someone who you can count on to be your friend and supporter. LET'S GO BIG, vote Sammie Lambourne for Freshman Representative September 28th. Reach out to me so I can get to know you! Instagram: @sammielambourne
Luna Lu
College of Arts and Sciences
Information Science
ll696
Freshman Representative
Hello! My name is Luna Lu and I am running for Freshman Student Representative! I was an active member in the prefect team and graduation committee in high school and I hope to keep making changes in Cornell representing you!
More specifically, I will work in student assembly to:
1) Improve Housing Quality - Dorms need air-conditioners in Summer! Otherwise, students should not pay the same housing fee for not air-conditioned residential halls.
2) Make Printing More Convenient - There should be more printers on North campus. Printing should be more accessible!
3) Optimize Dining Experience - Unlimited meal plan should be able to downgrade. Dining halls in the central campus should also accept meal swipes.
Instagram: lunalu4sa
Jefelyn Naula
College of Arts and Sciences
Government
jjn52
Freshman Representative
Hi! My name is Jefelyn and I'm a Government major in the College of Arts & Sciences. Being from New York City, I value diversity, inclusion, and equity. I appreciate different opinions and ideas from people who come from different backgrounds. As your freshman representative, your voices will be heard. I ensure you that administration will be aware of our concerns, complaints, and opinions. I will advocate in the best interest of our class. Your concerns about issues such as housing, dining, financial aid, and more will be expressed in meetings and I will do my best to represent your voices and our class. Also, I'd like to emphasize that one of my main focuses is the safety of women on campus. I'm sure you have all read the crime reports and many of you might be concerned about your safety on campus. Therefore, vote for me and together we can make a change for a safer and better campus. Please feel free to reach out to me on my Instagram: @jjefelyn. I look forward to meeting you all! Thank you!
Aidan Solomon
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Animal Science
ats95
Freshman Representative
Hi everyone! My name is Aidan Solomon, and I am a freshman majoring in Animal Science, through CALS. I would like to thank you all for the opportunity to run for the freshman representative. I know that we are all still settling in on campus and adjusting to college life. However, I don't think that that means we deserve to be underrepresented in the student assembly and across campus. Given the position, I will fight for increased diversity and inclusion at Cornell. I also will also work to provide more mental health services for students. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have seen the spike in the mental health crises among teens and students and I will fight in order to provide resources for those in need. All students, from all different majors, should and need to be heard. I will do my best in order to represent each freshman and make sure their voices are heard by Cornell and the assembly. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me via email at ats95@cornell.edu. I would love to hear all of your opinions and I would be happy to talk to you all!
Michelle Song
School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Industrial and Labor Relations
mzs7
Freshman Representative
Diversity permeated every aspect of my hometown life: the people were multicultural, we had a flourishing LGBTQ+ community, and we celebrated those of differing beliefs. Dialogue was critical to connecting with my community — a key that allowed me to viscerally engage as a member, not an observer. I didn’t just hear, I listened. I didn’t just speak, I acted. Coming from San Francisco, a city divided by socioeconomic class, I championed efforts to structure our educational system and policy to reflect the need to create equity in an inherently unequal environment. At Cornell, this means ensuring that every student has a right to education by:
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Mandating an immediate release of financial aid OR committing to a tuition freeze;
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Raising the student worker minimum wage;
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Expanding flexibility by including a hybrid-learning option due to COVID-19, no student should have to choose between their health and their education;
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Listening to YOUR input; Policy is a vivacious reflection of our desire to enact change, and as a queer woman of color, I strive to ensure that all voices are heard.
I unequivocally value the exploration of thought to improve our world: reimagined to accept diversity. Vote MICHELLE for CORNELL!
Joaquin Suriel
College of Arts and Sciences
Government
jes547
Freshman Representative
Hello everyone! My name is Joaquin Suriel and I am running to be a Freshman Representative. I have a few main objectives for this year. I will be working hard to ensure that we have as regular a year as possible; with as many events happening as normally as they can while always making sure they are safe for everyone. A big stress of our community has been Covid, which is why I will be pushing to require that all lecture classes be recorded and posted to Canvas. This will ease a lot of the anxiety that comes with getting the virus and having to miss class. I will ensure that everyone feels welcome, included, and respected, and also guarantee to respond to all emails within a 48 hour time frame. Additionally, before I vote on any resolution I will do thorough research and reading about the topic before I vote on it. You can trust me to always be informed and conduct due diligence regarding the issues I’m voting for. Lastly, I believe in the power of the word together. Together we can achieve any policy initiative that works for both us and Cornell University. A vote for Joaquin Suriel is not just a vote for me, it’s a vote for us. I hope together we can achieve policy initiatives to better our freshman experience.
School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Industrial and Labor Relations
mma228
Transfer Representative
My name is Maral Asik and I am a sophomore in the ILR school. You may know me from my critically acclaimed Youtube video, “The Ultimate Guide to the Cornell Transfer Option” which to-date has helped over 1,900 potential transfers. I have six years of experience in student representation, and am currently serving as a Congressional Intern for the United States Senate. Cornell is an amazing place, but it is not without its problems, the biggest of which being financial aid disbursement. After a year of waiting, many of you were stuck in limbo, unsure of whether you could attend the Ivy League institution you had been promised. This is unacceptable, and as transfer representative I would do everything in my power to ensure this is never the case again. I want to hear your perspectives on issues, but I also know that staying on top of campus news can be difficult with your heavy workload. If elected, I pledge to create a voluntarily-joined listserv in order to send digestible reports of Student Assembly meetings directly to your inbox. My ears will always be open to hear your comments and concerns. I hope that you will allow me the honor of representing our community to the Student Assembly as transfer representative. Thank you. Instagram: @maralasik
Joane Kim
School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Industrial and Labor Relations
jk2388
Transfer Representative
To be 100% real with you, I did not feel welcomed at Cornell. And after talking to so many of you, I realized that I was not the only one. With our transfer counselor being the only point of direct contact before arriving, relying on sporadic Reddit posts for answers, being the first to arrive in our buildings, going to O-week events just to receive “Class of 2025” merch, the pre-arrival process was equally as anxiety-inducing as showing up. Transferring is HARD: you’re not treated like a freshman when you feel like one, you’re struggling to balance academics with making friends, all while trying to find the bathroom. But as overwhelming as it’s been, it’s been so rewarding - meeting so many of you, hearing your stories, and sharing our struggles has made me feel so much less alone. As your transfer representative, my goal is clear: to ensure that no transfer has to undergo the same anxiety we did. Cornell could have done SO MUCH better, and with your input, I know that we can do so much to improve this process for those coming after us. So from transfer to transfer: I see you, I’m PROUD of you, and though it might seem far off right now, I know we’ll make this place our home. Rooting for you :) Your friend, Joane @joanekimm