What relevant experience would you each bring to the positions you are seeking?

At UMBC we pride ourselves in our community and our shared governance. UMBC, as well as its SGA, emphasize harmony between every voice involved in our collective experiences. Mehrshad -- being involved with our SGA for the past three years, as well as serving as our president for this year, brings a long-term perspective to the inner-workings of our shared governance structure. This perspective allows us an advantage in identifying areas of growth and improvement throughout the university. Ekta’s experience being SGA’s Director of Extended Connections has allowed her to facilitate conversations based on the individual needs of our community. This gives us a clear picture of the beautiful stories that make up all of UMBC. The external knowledge of Ekta regarding our community, and the internal knowledge of Mehrshad regarding the processes of our shared governance, allows the team to realize the collective vision that our community has for us.

How do you intend on fulfilling your roles while working alongside other members of SGA? What strategies do you use to address conflict?

Every single UMBC undergraduate is a member of SGA, not just its elected and appointed officers -- however, in past years, this concept may not have been felt by every voice in our student body. As Prospective President and Vice-president of SGA, our intention is to make sure that every student doesn’t only know, but also feels, that within the frameworks of UMBC, they have the means to be civically engaged and become student agents of change: in simpler terms, to have their voice listened to. Through our past experiences, we have found that the key to any form of leadership is communication, honesty, growth, and connection. We aim to use these values in both our leadership as well as any conflict resolution: understanding that with ample communication and the use of restorative practices, conflict can be transformed from a negative experience to a positive growing experience for all parties involved.

How do your approaches to leadership complement each other? How do you navigate disagreements between the two of you?

In terms of leadership, we both value communication, transparency, reflection, and connection. To lead is to be a part of, and we both aim to reflect this concept in as many ways as we can. Mehrshad strives to meet the needs of every member of the student body he comes across. His passion and desire to empower, results in his focused yet ambitious leadership style; planting seeds of opportunities in every interaction he has. Ekta, with similar visions as Mehrshad, uses her passion for facilitating honest connections amongst people, to promote a sense of community whilst working to realize our collective goals.
The two of us navigate disagreements between ourselves simply through the act of patient feedback and conversation. We both value understanding different perspectives before arriving at a conclusion, so we embody this practice in our own disagreements in order to collaborate and glean a better solution.

What is your vision for UMBC and the UMBC student body? How do you intend to strive toward this vision?

We envision a UMBC in which every undergraduate has the opportunity and toolset necessary to become student agents of change. To accomplish this, we want to work with as many undergraduates as possible to authentically face our collective issues together; enlisting the help of students that want to have a say regarding the issues we work on. The undergraduates of UMBC comprise the bulk of our community: it is intuitive for their voices to be heard and valued. Through intentional conversations with stakeholders and campus partners, we will elevate the student impact to its fullest potential. We also hope to provide those whose UMBC experience might have been stifled by the COVID-19 pandemic a true chance to interact with the rest of our community. Through meaningful events, fun opportunities, and networking, we hope to cultivate a sense of accomplishment: and ultimately, belonging.