leyton lineburg

What relevant experience would you bring to the position you are seeking?

Senatorial positions are very important as it involves a large amount of listening, hearing, and understanding constituents. As the captain of my high school’s ice hockey team, I learned that to work together, people must have equal understanding of each other. It was important to know and understand the roles of each person on the ice. This role taught me a lot about leadership in fast-paced, high stress environments.

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

I intend to work collectively with other members of SGA. Gathering and implementing a diverse perspective of ideas would be best for the student body as a whole. Listening to others and encouraging compromise is a big part of effective leadership. Compromise is incredibly important to addressing conflict, as it strives to reach a neutral position that is able to leave all opinions satisfied.

What is your vision for UMBC and the UMBC student body?

My vision for the UMBC student body is to promote inclusivity and individualism for all. Creating or promoting more opportunities for students to meet each other would create a stronger community and also allow students to meet others with similar interests that they would not normally meet in regular classes. This would allow more student interests groups to form, which could ultimately lead to higher levels of student engagement and satisfaction. As a first-year student, my experience of UMBC was held completely online. I felt as if there was no true community and the first time I went to an in-person class, it was amazing to me. It felt much more fulfilling because of the engagement. I hope that with this position, I am able to bring that feeling of engagement to those who are not taking in-person classes.

How do you plan to facilitate communications with your constituents?

I believe it would be more effective as a senator to reach out to students, instead of providing students an opportunity to reach out to me personally. By doing this, people that typically may not be heard will have the opportunity to give feedback to me or propose an idea of their own.