If elected to the Senate, what would your goals be for this position?

To make every student’s voice heard, build our campus around community, empathy, and service. 

What experience has prepared you for this position?

I have been a natural leader my whole life, in group projects, always making sure everyone’s skills were utilized, working with my principals and superintendent to build empathy in my high school. I founded my own program called “Faith Hope Love +1,” advocating and bringing awareness to kids without a family and bringing a little comfort during emergency placement. I also compete in scholarship pageants, which teach you how to be a leader and lead by example. 

How would you make sure you’re aware of the needs of the student body?

Not only by holding office hours each week but by making myself an approachable person so anyone who has any concerns or problems feels comfortable to talk with me. 

Is there anything else you would like us to know about your campaign?

My campaign isn’t about politics as usual. It’s about building a campus rooted in heart, empathy, and community. As your senator, when I represent your voice during policies, programs and issues impacting first-year student discussions — I will do so with those values at the center of my words and actions. 

I also have other goals — I believe every student has the desire to give back — but between classes, clubs, and social lives, it’s easy to feel like there’s never time.

I’d like to change that.

If elected, I would like to see Drake create some simple, easy, and fun opportunities for every Drake student to engage in service. Why? Because empathy matters and serving others nurtures empathy.

If elected to the Senate, what would your goals be for this position?

If elected, my priority is simple: I want to ensure that every individual thought reaches the Senate floor. Big ideas and campaign goals are great, but my focus is on ensuring that every freshman’s voice is heard. Nobody should be afraid that their idea will be drowned out by a big campus goal. Want pads or condoms restocked in the bathrooms? I’ll make it known. Is the website for the washing machines still down? I’ll make it known. Any idea, no matter how small, I will make it known.

What experience has prepared you for this position?

My extensive experience in the National Speech and Debate Association has prepared me for this position by immersing me in extensive international issues and debates. Debating on the national level has led me to learn how to communicate strategically and make my voice heard over competing voices. Furthermore, as an international tutor, I have learned that every single person has a complex background which prompts them to be who they are, and that the diversity which everyone brings to the table cannot be overlooked. 

How would you make sure you’re aware of the needs of the student body?

I would ensure that every student feels like they are able to come to me with any problem that they have, big or small. I would then keep a list or some sort of table to ensure that every item brought to my attention is heard at the correct time.

Is there anything else you would like us to know about your campaign?

I would like it to be known that my goal is to have personal relationships with everyone in the freshman class! It is important that they see me as a friend or someone they can trust.

If elected to the Senate, what would your goals be for this position?

Mental health resources — after losing a close friend to suicide, my goal is to expand access to support, including a 24-hour call service for anyone who needs to talk about mental health or just wants to talk.
Accessibility — many areas on campus are not wheelchair accessible, and I want to make our campus more inclusive for everyone. So I plan to point out these areas and bring them to the attention of the Senate. 

What experience has prepared you for this position?

I’ve served as student body vice president, student council vice president, and class president. In these roles, I learned how to amplify student voices and helped organize an event that raised $125,000 in two months for people with disabilities.

How would you make sure you’re aware of the needs of the student body?

Open communication: I’ll hold office hours, keep my email open, and have a Google Form in my Instagram bio so anyone can share comments, concerns, or ideas.
Commitment — I’ll always listen and be here for you. Together, we can build a stronger sense of community for our first-year Bulldogs.

If elected to the Senate, what would your goals be for this position?

As the First-Year Student Senator, I would have a few goals focused around the ideal of connection. Not only do I want our class (and student body) to become more united through genuine conversation and inclusion, but I also have a few more specific endeavors. These include strengthening mental health resources for connection with oneself, ensuring transparency and teamwork are instilled in connection with the Student Senate, and creating events and networks for connection with our community partners and organizations. All of these contribute to a life that you can love! 

What experience has prepared you for this position?

My leadership positions as student body president of my high school, in the State 4-H Council, and in the Iowa Youth Congress provided me with opportunities to delegate and collaborate with a diverse group of my peers. Together, we would work towards a common goal and find a relative solution. I gained experience in public speaking, problem-solving, creativity, and responsibility! 

How would you make sure you’re aware of the needs of the student body?

I love talking! This sounds simple enough, but by having conversations with the people around me, in the freshman class and beyond, I want to make connections with people to where they feel comfortable addressing their needs! Additionally, with one of my goals in this position, I would establish anonymous portals with every member of the Senate to allow for every student to submit their questions, comments, and concerns about campus and academic life. 

Is there anything else you would like us to know about your campaign?

I will make sure that you will love your life with me as your First-Year Student Senator! This campaign is not just about policies or the ability to showcase talents, it is about compassion, connection, and caring for the people. 

What would your goals be if elected?

Increase student involvement, not just on campus, but in the broader Des Moines community. Too many first-years don’t know what’s out there, and I want to connect students with opportunities beyond their dorms and classrooms.

Let’s be real, every candidate has said, “improve mental health resources.” The real question is: what’s your plan? Here’s mine. First, we need to expand awareness of the Counseling Center at Broadlawns. It’s available to us, but too many students don’t even know it’s there or how to access it. Second, we can’t ignore the reality of substance use and recovery on campus. I’ve seen how this affects people close to me, and I know students need real, safe, and stigma-free pathways back to health. That means stronger recovery resources, stronger peer support, and stronger connections to the community services available here in Des Moines. At the end of the day, a healthier campus is a safer campus.

Making financial guidance accessible early, navigating FAFSA, loans, and financial planning is overwhelming, but avoiding the conversation makes it worse. I want Drake to start these conversations with students from year one and continue supporting them even after graduation, potentially through an alumni network focused on financial literacy. I reject unrealistic promises of “more financial aid,” because if the Student Senate could do that, everyone serving right now would’ve done it. But I do believe transparency and guidance are realistic, necessary, and overdue.

What experience has prepared you for this position?

Being a senator isn’t about a title, it’s about doing the day-to-day work: listening, sending emails, showing up to boring meetings, and being a bridge between students and leadership. I’ve already done that. As a core member of the Des Moines Public School Reimagining Education Committee, I worked directly with district leaders to shape policy for 30,000+ students. The results of that work are now literally on the ballot this November in Des Moines. That’s accountability. And unlike my opponents, I’m from here, a Des Moines native with connections that students at Drake can benefit from right away. If that’s not enough, I’ve even made my full résumé public on my campaign page underneath a post talking about my experience.

How would you make sure you’re aware of student needs?

On Thursday, Sept. 18, every single candidate for First-Year Senator received an email from Sean Groh, last year’s First-Year Senator. 

In the email, Sean explained that when he ran, someone had invited him to attend a Student Senate meeting. He said it was one of the best pieces of advice he got, because it gave him a chance to see how Senate actually works. So he encouraged us to show up to the Senate general meeting that same evening.

Now, here’s the important part: out of all the candidates who got that email, I was the only one who actually showed up. Not one of my opponents came. 

If someone can’t make the time to show up to the Senate meeting during their own campaign, why should voters trust them to show up after they’re elected? That’s the difference between me and the other names on that email list. I don’t just want the title; I want to do the work. And I’ve already proven that by showing up when nobody else did.

Second: I stay accessible. I will respond to emails and DMs, and I plan to publish a monthly video newsletter to update students on what I’ve done and invite feedback.

Third: I’ll be out talking to people. Not just waiting for emails but actively meeting students where they are. That’s how you build trust and understand real concerns.

Anything else you’d like us to know?

I’m running because I care. I’ve already proven I can deliver results for students in Des Moines, and now I want to do the same at Drake. This campaign isn’t about résumé padding. My résumé is already long enough. It’s about being dependable, outgoing, and genuine. Dependable, because I’ve represented students before. Outgoing, because I thrive on connecting with people. Genuine, because I’m doing this for students, not for myself.

If elected to the Senate, what would your goals be for this position?

Better accessibility for the campus — fighting to have our sidewalks and tactile pavement redone, and redoing the handicap buttons to open the doors outside of buildings. 

Better mental health resources — we all know that Drake has great mental health resources, but there is always room for improvement. We need a mental health absence policy to ensure that students are mentally healthy. When students are mentally healthy, they are physically healthy. “Better Mental Health Better Schools.”

Opening Hubbell up until 12:00 a.m. — again, Hubbell Dining Hall is our primary source of food on campus, and we are known for being a rigorous university. We need to have somewhere to go to get food at midnight when we are studying for an assignment, test, or final. Hubbell used to be open until 12:00 a.m. What changed in a summer? That’s what I’m going to find out and fix.

What experience has prepared you for this position?

The experiences that have prepared me for this position would be my overall high school experience. By my senior year, I was the Texas Association of Student Councils, involved in 11 extracurricular activities, including but not limited to: National Honor Society, International Thespian Society, Student Council, tennis, golf, etc. I did all this while maintaining academic excellence. I had to balance my time, stress levels, and emotions. I ran one of the largest mental health reforms in Texas by a student organization at the beginning of this year, and I have worked tirelessly to ensure that everyone has and will have a seat at my table.

How would you make sure you’re aware of the needs of the student body?

I have been going around to students and asking, ‘What do you want to see on our campus?’ That’s my campaign because I am not running for myself, I’m running to represent Drake University’s first-year class, and I can’t do that unless I ask the students in that class what they want. So, I would have to say just talking with students and being open and transparent with them is how I make sure that I’m aware of the student body’s needs.