My name is Twesh Upadhyaya, and I am running to be your representative on the UMD Senate. I aim to better your university experience by fighting for fairer TA allocation and workload, greater consistency in funding and fees, and increased student accommodations, including more options for graduate housing. I have a varied and extensive set of experiences in student governance, through both student societies and university roles. These include serving as a director on the UW Graduate Student Association, Representative on the University of Toronto Engineering Society Board of Directors, and Governor on the University of Toronto Governing Council; where I represented thousands of students directly to University administration. Key accomplishments in these roles include: expanding eligibility for my faculty’s annual research conference, discussing caps on tuition fee increases with senior officials, and successfully arguing for changes to a proposed university-wide mandated leave of absence policy. University policies and structures have a tremendous impact on your daily lives as students; I am passionate about making sure they work in your favour, to support your success as students and researchers. A vote for me is a vote for strong representation and thoughtful policy decisions. Thank you.