Student health and well-being have always been something that hits home for me. Making sure students feel safe in the classroom concerning both accessibility and mental health resources is critical to make sure every student has the opportunity to learn. 

During my time as Academic Affairs Chairperson, when faculty legislation came up regarding mental health, I always advocated for the benefit of the student and fought to make things easier, such as supporting a more relaxed Health Withdrawal Policy and advocating for the inclusion of personal statements in our academic withdrawal policies. 

I will continue working towards achieving more access to mental health resources on campus and ensuring all aspects of accessibility are addressed with any project Senate undertakes. 

One of the issues I have been actively addressing is ensuring our lunch hours are protected from over-extended class time. 

Since our cafe is only open during certain hours, students must have the opportunity to take a lunch break and recover from intense class sessions. When students are not able to be out of class for a lunch period, they risk missing a chance for a breather, important work study meetings, or chances to be involved in our community.  

One of my committee memberships was being the student representative for the Daily Class Schedule Task Force, which included important campus leaders like the: Provost-Ilene Crawford, Jackie Wilson, Jeff Meeker, Kate Kauper, and Cindy Strong. I have been actively addressing issues such as this one and not just talking but delivering on promises. People who may be familiar with my work know that this is an advocacy issue I had during my last Student Body Vice President election. I ran head first into addressing this problem, and I have since not only dreamed of something better but acted on making it a reality. 

That is something I hope to continue to bring to the table; leaders who act on their word.

I will continue to lead and help create spaces for open conversations on all aspects of issues on campus. 

In my projects, I always got feedback and candid responses from students because the work I do is not for myself but for the benefit and betterment of the Cornell Community. When it came to the Menstrual Aunt Flow Project, I led focus groups, conducted surveying, and ensured that students wanted the project. Making sure we received an unbiased sample, under my leadership with my committee, I tried to get a wide array of students to ensure that any decision made was backed by factual data and want/need demand. 

Whether I continue to help facilitate and lead student open forum meetings or find a new way to help engage students across the entire campus, any work I undertake will be for and because of students, which I will continue in my next chapter as your Student Body President.