Tameka Bazile

Some things are all about preparation…

You study for exams you know you wouldn’t do well on without preparing. You exercise for a marathon you know you wouldn’t perform well in by preparing. You practice dancing and singing for a show so you can be comfortable on stage when performing. It’s all about preparation and how well you prepare.

I prepared myself this year in my position. I tried, made mistakes, sometimes failed but I am happy to say that most of the time, I succeeded. I worked hard with my current E-Board to shape what Programming Board is and what the committee will continue to be for years to come. I am glad to say that I left a footprint in the sand and I hope to leave many more in the upcoming school year. I am ecstatic to say I fulfilled many of my goals with the programming position this year and that I have received praise for the efforts I have made. Last year, I urged you to allow me to help make your drawer full of memories.

“I lead by example and I pride myself in always traveling off the beaten path but ending up at the same destination. I mean, isn’t that what this is all about? Making your own noise, following your heart and filling up a drawer full of memories before we get to that diploma? I will always encourage the Pace community to live this way, not because that is how I live but because it is the right way to live. We are all here for the same thing but the way we get there should differ as greatly as we do.”

I know your drawers are getting a little full but I am hoping there is space for a couple more memories. The same way I am hoping that there is space for one more year as your Vice President of Programming. You know I can do this! You know I have prepared! And with adequate preparation, the prospect of failure diminishes.

With that, I end with the same quote that helped me win the position last year: “All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.” Aristotle

Donika Brucaj

Pace University is the home of Opportunity. Don’t just take my word for it, look at the numbers: U.S. News top 5 in the nation for placing people in internships, Forbes top 20 colleges in the country that will make you rich, and over 2,800 alumni hold executive level positions in their companies. There’s countless statistics proving that Pace is truly the home of excellence. But behind that excellence that we all desperately desire to achieve, lies experience. What would college be without the experience, inside and outside the classroom? Sure, a prestigious job is what we all strive to gain out of the hard work we put in, but why not celebrate ourselves and our community as we achieve academic excellence. After all, the journey is sometimes better than the destination. Students should be able to look back at their years at Pace and reflect on endless fun and fascinating activities and events hosted on the Pleasantville campus itself. Pace Pleasantville is home to a great variety of people, be it residents or commuters, people involved in Greek life, student athletes, and faculty with hands on experience. We need to work as a team to channel that diversity and create a unified community, one that does not segregate the commuters from the residents, the Greek life from the Non-Greek life, athletes from non-athletes, and the students from the faculty. A community that is whole. A community that screams PACE PRIDE! Pleasantville has endless potential and it’s time we finally utilize it. We’re already making huge progress with the Master Plan, but we must remember not to sacrifice the comfort of our students during the process. As a commuter, I feel I represent a huge amount of unheard voices of people too discouraged to speak up. If elected Vice President of Programming, I promise to change that. I, Donika Brucaj, your friend, colleague, and mentor, promise to represent the student body to the best of my ability in an effort to make life on the Pleasantville campus more engaging and entertaining. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and with your vote, Pace can finally reach its full potential and become the whole provider of our happiness, excellence, and success. I am truly grateful for the countless opportunities I’ve been given at Pace and hope to give back to you, the student body, as much as I can if given the chance to serve as Vice President of Programming!