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

As a current Finance Board Representative and former secretary, my experience with the board brings a lot of understanding and familiarity to not only meeting structures and the guiding documents for Finance Board and Student Government Association as a whole, but also to the general types of questions and how to handle unique cases that are best learned from experience. I have used these experiences to suggest changes to improve communication and relations with student organizations as well as between Finance Board members as well and will continue to do so if elected as a Finance Board Representative for the upcoming academic year.

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

I believe the role of Finance Board Representative is best fulfilled by exercising open communication, sharing new ideas, and collaborating with others towards the common goal of serving the student body with the resources available. This includes meetings, but extends beyond those blocks of time to provide the most efficient and meaningful experience possible. In order to address conflict, I focus on creating an atmosphere that allows each person to be heard and protect each individual's voice and sense of agency. I find that validating the thoughts of others and recognizing intent versus impact for the betterment of SGA and students alike has been successful in maintaining working relationships and addressing conflict.

What is your vision for the funds that SGA has available to allocate to student organizations?

In terms of the Finance Board, Representatives are faced with the decision of how to allocate organizations with a limited budget. It is my vision that students will have more contact with members of Finance Board prior to submitting requests for funding in order to have a firm understanding of how the SGA budget is spent, and how their request shapes and is shaped by this process. As a Finance Board Representative, it is my vision to provide funding that supports the visions of UMBC students and do so in a way that allows for a fair distribution of the available funding.

What do you think the Finance Board has done well? What do you think the Finance Board needs to improve?

Over the past year, the members of Finance Board have worked hard to support student organizations in unprecedented ways, make efforts to develop relationships with organizations beyond the duties of their position, and be transparent in their thoughts and actions. For the next Finance Board, I would like to see greater clarification of various aspects of interactions with Finance Board meetings, improved means of outreach, and overall greater visibility on campus. For instance, most students are unaware of the vast amount of campus events that are funded by Finance Board allocations. Through greater visibility on campus, Finance Board can connect with more students and better serve in their elected positions.