Photo Courtesy of Holden Spence

Name: Holden Spence

Major: Global Affairs 

Year: Rising Senior

Position for candidacy: President

Why are you running for this position?

I’ve always been an advocate and tried to be a voice for those who have felt that their voice wasn’t heard. By running for President I am hoping to bring those silenced and cornered voices into the forefront of student affairs and better student life.  I am very blessed to be able to continue carrying the legacy of my grandfather through my work as an advocate, and hopefully as Student Body President. Chra and I believe that positive change can happen, as long as we’re willing to work for it. And that’s what we intend to do, by creating “a campus that works for everyone.

What do you hope to accomplish if you win?

There are many things I’d like to accomplish if I am to win the election. By sticking to the core of my campaign platform – Transparency, Accountability, Inclusivity and Student Advocacy – I hope to implement real change on all levels of the university. Within student government itself I’m hoping to broaden the organization by creating two new positions that are focused to working with students of various religious backgrounds and students with active Title IX cases. These pockets within our community are personally important to myself and need representation within student government to better service students.

What’s one thing voters might not know about you, your life, or your interests that was not mentioned in the first two answers? 

I’d like to consider myself a writer. I write a blog where I discuss politics, gender, the color green, relationships, life goals, my battle with mental health – anything that I feel like writing about. It’s my personal space that I’ve opened up for my readers: the Empty Void). I also write and perform spoken word poetry. Poetry is an amazing outlet that has brought me out of dark times in my life and I don’t know where I’d be without it. Catch me at a Busboys & Poets open mic. If you’d like, follow my blog @ onein7billionsite.wordpress.com!

Photo Courtesy of Chra Darwesh

Name: Chra Darwesh

Major: Government and International Politics

Year: Junior

Position for candidacy: Vice President 

Why are you running for this position?

I’ve been a student here for over a year and I’d like to consider myself a very active member of campus life: I’m on an eboard, I attend events and I have daily interaction with administration. Basically, I work here, go to school here, the only I don’t do, is sleep here. In my time here, Student Government has never felt representative of me, or people like me. I’m running for this position because I want an organization that’s meant to represent everyone, to do just that.

What do you hope to accomplish if you win?

 With this position I hope to take on a number of large issues being spoken about around campus such as our Title IX Act and the lack of funding for the universities various organizations, but most importantly increase student involvement. If elected I really hope to bridge the gap between students, Student Government, and Senior Administration on campus. While our university is prided on being one of the most diverse communities in Virginia, a lot of voices tend to go unheard and a lot of individuals tend to feel out of space. Communities made up of Transfer/International students make up such a large portion of our school and I feel that being that stepping stool, giving them the tools, and encouraging them to get involved in things such as Student Government and different Student Organizations will only begin to display our universities true population.

What’s one thing voters might not know about you, your life, or your interests that was not mentioned in the first two answers? 

I am a huge Capitals fan, I’ve been watching and going to games since middle school! When it comes to D.C sports I think it’s hard to root for any team because I genuinely believe they are all cursed, but every season I remind myself to not get my hopes up, and every season I do just that. Let’s just say playoffs are a very disheartening time for any D.C sports fan and I can sympathize with that completely.