How do you plan to keep your constituents (UMD graduate students) informed about the activities of the UMD Senate? How do you plan to learn their opinions on policies on which you will have to vote?

I plan to keep my fellow peers informed about the activities at school via email, flyers, social media and by talking with them directly. Talking with people directly is usually extremely difficult for me because I am really shy and have a hard time conversing with people, but since beginning the MPP Program at UMD, I have gotten so much better at networking and meeting new people.

Do you support collective bargaining rights for graduate assistants? If so, have you signed the Fearless Student Employees statement of support? If not, why not?

Absolutely! And yes, I have signed the Fearless Student Employees statement of support. I am currently a Graduate Assistant myself and I believe that it is the university's job to provide us students with stipends that support our education and cost of living. Juggling being a full-time graduate student and a Graduate Assistant is not easy, so the benefits we get should rightfully match the labor.

Have you previously been involved in any form of governance at UMD, whether through committees of the UMD Senate, on the Graduate Student Government, or otherwise? If not, have you been involved in other student groups at UMD, or in student government prior to your time at UMD?

During high school I served on the Student Government Association and was introduced to representing a student body. I attended Bowie State University for undergrad and served on the Office of Residence Life and Campus Activities Board. These were amazing ways for me to represent students at my University because I was able to be the voice for a larger body of people with diverse needs. At UMD, this will be my first time getting the chance to get involved in any form of governance/groups. It has been very challenging trying to find groups at UMD and in the School of Public Policy to get involved in. This is ultimately why I chose to run for Senator. I really enjoy policy and advocacy, so joining the Senate will provide me with the perfect opportunity to represent my peers and get some more experience under my belt to prepare for a career in policy. Additionally, I know many other students have had a very difficult time getting involved, especially when you factor in the pandemic, but by joining Senate I will hopefully inspire other students who may feel like they do not belong or feel lost that they can and should get involved as well.

If elected, which UMD Senate Committees would you want to join, and why?

I would like to join the Student Affairs Committee. In the School of Public Policy, I believe we are missing out on some really great opportunities to have extracular activities and events to help students network and even simply, enjoy each other's company. I hear students mention wanting this frequently, but not much action seems to be taking place to get that change we want. We only have a small amount of time in graduate school to make the experience worthwhile. The School of Public Policy students are so intelligent and hard-working, so having those activities and events will really allow us to get those experiences we deserve and eventually represent UMD at a very high standard.

If you could make one specific policy change during your tenure on the UMD Senate, what would it be?

One specific policy change I would like to make is to form a committee that specifically deals with student mental health in the process of adjusting to grad school and transitioning into the workforce. This is something that is really important that I never seem to hear anyone ever speaking about, unless they are in a smaller group setting. If a student's overall mental health is not good, their transition into and out of grad school will feel like they are alone and deteriorating. I don't think anyone should have to go through this and would like to begin taking the steps to prevent these things from occurring.

Becoming a Senator will allow me the opportunity to represent the students in the School of Public Policy by voicing our concerns and striving to be better than we were yesterday! Everyday we should be striving to be a better version of ourself. It would be a great honor to represent the students in the School of Public Policy who like me, think they don't fit the mold. No matter how hard it is to believe that you are important, never loose sight that you are! Your opinions, thoughts and concerns matter just as much as the next person. During my undergraduate years at Bowie State University I became a member of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ). In addition to being a member of the Bowie State University Mock Trial, Bowie State University Office of Residence Life Chairman, and Honor Society.