Listed below are all the candidates for Pace University Student  Government Election. Voting takes place March 26- March 30 on PaceVotes.Check your email for a link and access!

President:

Jamie Deltoro – If you know one thing about me it should be that I care about Pace. Pace has given me the best years of my young adulthood and like many of you, I want to take all that I have learned and us it to give back and make a difference on campus. I want to work with all parts of student life, the academics, staff/faculty, and administration. I believe that there should more spaces for us to have conversations with staff and admin about what is happening on and around campus. I want to encourage students to reach out and make moves! I want students to feel comfortable in having these conversations, and I want to empower students make connections outside of our comfort zones. I may be just one small piece of the grander picture, but I know that I will move help move us in the right direction. My goal is to make change.

Lisdy Contreras-Giron –  My journey, since I stepped foot on campus, has prepared me for this position. Every position that I’ve held, every person that I’ve met, every stride I’ve made has bettered me and has prepared me to take on the role to give back to the Pace community. I do believe in paying it forward and the best way for me to be able to pay it forward for all I’ve been able to take away from Pace is by now maximizing the student experience and implementing change through you as your voice. I am a well-rounded student, although my academics has always been my priority I have also made it an equal priority to be engaged on campus. I am passionate. When coming to Pace I was able to identify and pursue my passions, I don’t partake in anything I am not passionate about and when getting involved on campus every organization and position has been meaningful to me. I care. Every position that I’ve held has allowed me to grow and learn from a student’s perspective. From encouraging students to get involved through my convocation speech to holding a forum on DACA, in light of national news events, every position has allowed me to strengthen my voice, and prepare to advocate and fight for every student and all students. I am a servant leader. A servant leader puts other first and I will put you first. There’s more to do and there’s more to learn and grow. I am prepared to take on this new challenge. I am ready to be your President!

Olivia Wint -Hey guys! My name is Olivia Wint and currently, I am an Applied Psychology major and I will be graduating in the Class of 2019. Since my freshman year at Pace University in 2015, I have been able to explore the depths of the university. Throughout the years of extensive discussions with my classmates I have discovered the goals we are reaching for. As a community, it is important that we see eye to eye as a diverse group of students. As a collective school I would love to be unified in culture. I have experienced extensive diversity in different cultures which has enable me to understand, interact, and coexist with many different cultures. It is very important to me that we as a student body are able to recognize and create solutions to situations as the arise. Voting for me will not only support your ideas but be the wind in our back that propels us to higher heights in achieving our goals.

Executive Vice President:

Phylippa Brown – I am in the faculty of Dyson Pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Environmental Studies. I am running for Executive Vice President where I hope to use the position to build a bridge between domestic and international students in the University, as I feel like international students have a lot to bring in ways of culture and diversity to enhance the development and progress of the University. I am a team-player and wish to in cooperate all entities for the smooth progressive running of the student body.

Natalie Holguin – – With the help of the other Judicial Board members it is my goal, if I get elected into the position to provide a welcoming space in senate meetings to help clubs, organizations and students all come together. Students, should be more aware of what is being discussed in Senate, even if they are not apart of club. Senate is an open meeting yet not utilized by those students who are not in clubs. Therefore it is essential to find other way to get the message to students about any important decision that pertain to them. The position and Senate has continuously grown and improved and I wish to continue those efforts to assure the best experience for everyone.

Harshini Rajkumar- I am Harshini Rajkumar, an international student and a Business Management major. While people call me Harshi, my name actually means somebody who makes people happy or puts a smile on people’s faces. I have been active in Pace organizations and particularly in SGA since my freshman year. This year is an exceptionally exciting time to be a part of Pace with our new President and Provost.

I am familiar with our SGA constitution and believe it is extremely well written. It is important for the Pace student body to understand the system so as to facilitate their participation in it. I believe it is important to have a fair and equitable governance structure. Therefore, my goal is to clarify the functions of the judiciary system and demystify the process of student governance at Pace especially in light of broader events in the outside world today. Knowledge is indeed power.

My experiences as a Lubin school representative and an Associate Justice in SGA have helped me understand the role the constitution plays in guiding the functioning of SGA. I would like to bring the skills from my previous positions to help establish clubs on campus that address the diverse intellectual, social, athletic and artistic interests of students. Further, having met with a lot faculty and staff in my previous positions, I believe there are opportunities to foster more working relationships between faculty and clubs on campus to increase student participation. By empowering student organizations, we would be more attractive to the larger student body. It is important to support the development of student initiatives and to sustain club memberships as they are vital forces on campus. By working closely with SDCA to further a more effective communication system, we could forge a connection with the freshman class and achieve a larger Pace community involvement. Ultimately, I hope to make student involvement in clubs and organizations a norm at Pace. I believe we can accomplish this by unifying student organizations through cross club activities and competitions.

VP for Finance:

Madia Bestman- My name is Madia Bestman and I am running for the privilege to serve as your Vice President of Finance for the 2018-19 academic year. Being a fashion enthusiast on a budget and having the urge to shop to all the time, sometimes you have to choose to look cute or be broke. I learned to be financially responsible so that I have flexibility. This includes creating a budget for myself, knowing my financial limits and still having money to live as a everyday college student.Through my involvement in various facets of campus life at Pace University I believe that I have developed a strong sense of the needs of the student body. After spending two enriching years working in SDCA as a Campus Activities Assistant I had the opportunity to reach students through events and student involvement. I am also a treasurer of multiple student organizations. My job in SDCA and being treasurer is like being behind the scenes but also having a front seat to the budget process. With those amazing opportunities, I am able to look at both sides and observe what’s going well and things that need to be fixed for the benefit of the Pace community as a whole. My mission is to give a voice to not only treasurers or senators but to all students regarding the budget process. At the end of the day the student fund is from the students for the students and everyone should have the opportunity to be part of that process.

Alexandria Rodriguez – I want to change Pace to make it better for students and to help them succeed beyond their 4 to 5 years here, but to do that I need your help. Please vote for me so we can make Pace even better for students then it was before.

VP for Administration:

Chrystal Fermin- My name is Chrystal Fermin and I am a current Junior in the Lubin School of Business studying Marketing with a concentration in Advertisement. I currently serve as one of the Student Ambassador for Lubin. I would like to extend my experience with Student Government Association by running for the Vice President of Administration. Working with SGA this past year I saw the hands on work they did being the liaison between the student body and administration. Learning behind the scenes truly fascinated me and I want to continue to serve for the Pace Community. Students should be able to have a voice and see an impact.

Student Director of Programming:

Alyssa Ortega – “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” Without communication, what is leadership? If a leader is unable to communicate and understand the needs of those he or she is representing, the leader will be unable to fully and truthfully voice the opinions and ideas of his or her community. I am a third-year Childhood Education major here at Pace. Therefore, I plan to use my experience in this field, if elected, in the role of Student Director of Programming by coming up with creative and innovative ideas in event decision-making and planning. I will also use this experience in being able to truly listen and be open to suggestion. This is an aspect of Programming Board that initially motivated me to want to join Programming Board and ultimately run for the position of Student Director. Programming Board is open to all and always wants to hear suggestions from the school community as it attends to interests as a whole. I want to continue this tradition and make others more aware of how much they can influence what they see on campus. I believe communication truly is key, especially when it comes to event programming. I believe that although technological innovations in social media, such as Snapchat and Instagram, has been prominent in the way we advertise the old way of person-to-person communication needs to be returned to campus. With such a close-knit community on the Pace Pleasantville campus, I feel that a simple “Come with me to this event” or use of the buddy-system is more effective then general Snapchat event reminder. However, I want to combine both Programming’s great presence on social media with a more in-person approach to ensure that the school community enjoys the fullness of what Pace University has to offer. Nevertheless, I still remain flexible and open to any other ideas others may have to increase more student activity in events and what events will peak more interest. My freshman year was nothing but staying in my dorm and running back home every other weekend. Without someone being there to tell me to come with them to an event, I would still be closed-off on campus. Pace has often been considered a “suitcase school”, meaning that students never seem to want to stay on campus. If chosen as Student Director of Programming, I want to change this by inspiring more students to stay and participate on campus. Through the fun and interesting events that I plan to have on campus, I want bring life back to campus. Through promotion of new friendships and relationships, I wish to create a greater sense of community on campus.

Education Student Ambassador:

Katherine Santana -My name is Katherine Santana and I am running for the School of Education Student Ambassador position for the 2018-2019 academic year. I am a Sophomore, Childhood Education Major with a Concentration in English. As one of the current School of Education’s Student Representatives, I have learned and experienced the role and responsibilities of the School of Education Student Ambassador. As a School of Education Representative, I have been able to learn effective ways to reach the needs of students. I am excited for the opportunity to run for this position because I am very passionate about helping students in any way that I can. I enjoy facilitating change and I want to ensure that everyone’s voice is valued in the Pace community.

Dyson Student Ambassador:

Kadija Shaw- With a love for the student body and a passion for change, I plan on being the best Student Ambassador Pace has ever had for the Dyson School. I feel that with my outstanding public relations skills and warm characteristics, I will make a difference in being a student governor. Pace has become a part of who I am and I will do everything in my power to be the best Student Ambassador I can be, with your help!

Tehyana Ferguson – To me, an ambassador is a voice, a voice for many others. In order to be a representative, you must be selfless. Being able to create a bridge between students and faculty, that builds a firm foundation for communication. Being an ambassador is also a form of servant-leadership. These are the qualities I posses and more, even though I have been on the campus only a few months, I’ve seen what this campus has provided for me. Additionally, I’ve seen what I can bring to this campus. My positivity and ambition will make me the best candidate for this academic role. If and when an issue should arise, I can be trusted to bring it to the right people, in order to form effective solution. I am that voice. Vote for me and I’ll speak for you.

Lubin Student Ambassador:

John-Carlo Bautista – I am running to represent the Lubin School of Business, to bring more opportunities to the students. I want to move more towards experiential learning and increase relevancy to the real world in Lubin’s classes. I am here for you and always available to hear your ideas!!

Joseph Silvestro – The Lubin School of Business brings a very unique and engaging aspect to the field of business. Pace University is fortuitous to have such a well renowned business school that cannot be compared to other universities at the higher education level. Since the Lubin School of Business has such a great legacy, I want to be able to move forward in our universities goals, by promoting student involvement, by promoting a sense of closer community, and by making small changes to the business school that will ultimately better our learning environment.
Being a member of the Lubin School of Business on the Pleasantville Campus, I have been involved and acquainted with two of the biggest contributors to the school’s unique aspects: Lubin Business Association (LBA) and The Center for Student Run Enterprises. By being involved with and associated with these two organizations, I understand how they give our students unique and unrivaled experiences that can be transferred into real world scenarios. By promoting these resources, as well as the many other resources not listed, I think that this school will only become better and better, reaching far past the expectations of those previous to us.
As a student, and as an individual that wishes to represent the school, I only have the best intentions of carrying on and improving upon the legacy that the name “Lubin” holds.

CHP Student Ambassador:

Maegan Tavarez – Within my three years of pace, I have witnessed everyone pointing out what’s wrong with our campus but never taking the initiative to provide change. I personally want to be that change. Since coming to Pace University I have been able to grow as an individual. I have managed to take the time to learn my flaws and improve upon them. Taking this initiative to be a part of student government is a large step for me because I am stepping out of my comfort zone. The goal of this position is to widen my horizon to know things, to take on more responsibility around campus, and advocate for those who won’t advocate for themselves. I am a part of the College of health professions and am a Health Science major. As a health science major we sometimes get the short end of the stick that’s because our program is both new and small. Since my time being the program it has grown and its time for our voices be heard as well. I want everyone in the college of health professions to feel equal. If elected I will not let my fellow colleagues down but rise up to the occasion.​

Seidenberg Student Ambassador:

Laina Posner  – The reason I am interested in this position is that I want to make a difference in the school of Seidenberg. I have noticed that many students feel a disconnect from the rest of the university, and I want to change this. With working with other students from different backgrounds and academic schools, I would be able to help on bringing the different communities and student organizations together.