Hello everyone! If we haven't met, my name is Terra, I am a junior majoring in Government & Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies with a specialization in Sexual Violence Prevention! I am from Bowling Green, OH (home of Bowling Green State University!) and I am running to be your Student Assembly President! 

When I first came to William & Mary, I had no idea what an impact advocacy would have on my life and my future. From the very beginning, I observed things on campus that I knew needed to change. I saw the ways that people talked about sex and sexuality, the culture around alcohol, and the ever-present nature of stress and competition. Being out-of-state and from a limited income family, I felt like there were some problems that I had as a student that my friends and hallmates could never understand. The pressure to engage in activities that were so outside of my scope or resources made me so overwhelmed, I knew that there was no way I was not the only person struggling with these problems. I so desperately searched for an ability to create solutions for these problems.

I ran for Senate in fall of my freshman year, in hopes that I could try to achieve some of this change. Learning about Student Assembly, attending a Board of Visitors meeting, and learning what students wanted to change mobilized me like nothing else. When doing research for my campaign, I stumbled upon a student organization called Someone You Know, that aimed to prevent sexual violence on William & Mary’s campus through education and programming. I was transfixed by their mission, and the moment that I could attend an event, I did. Even though my Senate campaign resulted in a loss, I was able to meet so many allies in student government and I was led towards another possibility of achieving change. 

Being a member of Someone You Know has truly changed my life. Problems that I once thought unsolvable suddenly felt so actionable every time I was in front of an audience. To this day, presenting in front of those groups will never cease to make me the happiest person alive. Sexual violence prevention is my future, and I have loved being able to start that future here at William & Mary. Becoming president of SYK was my first introduction to working with administration. Our advisor had recently left, and it was my job to make sure that SYK stayed the resource it was for so many, even without administrative support. With a student voice at the table, changes were being made every day that led towards genuine change, and I realized the power of having those conversations. I wanted more people in the room with me, to advocate for what they needed. Everyone should be able to do that. 

When I entered the Student Assembly Cabinet, I was able to use my experience as a Student Organization president to support my team and discover a broad range of projects that tackle Health & Safety concerns on campus. I have been able to work with amazing student advocates in the Cabinet and the Senate, students that were always willing to accept my ideas and help to create the best initiatives possible. I met Oscar, and I knew instantly that I had met another passionate advocate. We were both new to Student Assembly, and we both wanted to use our prior experience to reshape how Student Assembly could help as many students as possible. I have loved working with this team and developing this platform. I have loved serving this community for the past three years and I desperately want the chance to serve this community even more. Thank you for your consideration, go forward and make a difference!

What’s up! I'm Oscar, I’m a junior from Centreville, VA. I'm majoring in Government and Hispanic Studies, with interests in human rights and transitional justice in Latin America. And yes, I am affiliated with the a cappella group that waves the plastic goose around. No, it doesn't have a name. Yes, those are geese on my tie.

I'll be transparent: I did NOT believe in student government when I first got to campus. After facing endless trials, troubles, and tribulations as a first-generation, limited-income student, I wanted to ease the struggles of future students coming from all marginalized communities. There is pride in being the first to go to college—but that pride should not come with feeling hopeless in a foreign world. Getting involved in DEI work was the way to get started. Realizing the issues regarding equity within Fraternity & Sorority Life, I applied to serve on the Interfraternity Council as the VP of DEI. Without knowing, this lit my flame for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Through my role, I worked with organizations one-on-one, established a community-wide DEI plan, sought solutions to make Fraternity & Sorority Life affordable, and more. I proved myself wrong: I realized I had the power to make a difference as a student leader. Students ARE harbingers of change.

Wanting to refine my approach and perspective on DEI, I applied for Student Assembly’s Department of Diversity Initiatives on a whim in 2023. Immediately, I developed a greater admiration for advocacy work at a university-wide level. I began to work with faculty and admin on topics ranging from affirmative action to LGBTQ+ inclusion to the inequities of the orientation experience, and probably most things that fall under the multifaceted umbrella of DEI. Through the conversations I've been a part of and the projects I've led, I realized what the ability to make an impact looks like. I realized what outspoken student leaders can accomplish.

Outside of Student Assembly, I am a proud member of my a cappella group, The Stairwells. Those boys have shown me what it's like to form a collective voice to create art while being authentically and unapologetically ourselves. I also occasionally don a green robe with the William & Mary Choir! Within this platform, you'll see that Arts Advocacy is prominent under Student Experience: I believe that we should strive to put the arts forward in everything we do. Being human is impossible without singing, dancing, and joy. The arts are invaluable, and I am so excited to have it be part of our mission.

William & Mary is the only campus where I would have been granted the opportunity to sing, advocate, and study hard, all while having fun doing it. I am running for Student Assembly Vice President because I realized and have seen the power and strength of peer advocacy, the ability to do good, and the ability to change people’s lives for the better within everything I am a part of.  If elected Vice President, I am fiercely dedicated to doing all this and more for W&M students and beyond.