{"56338":{"#nid":"56338","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Students Elect New Leadership","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EChange is afoot within the ranks of Georgia Tech\u2019s student leadership. The slate of newly elected graduate and undergraduate student government presidents and vice presidents is set on innovating the Institute\u2019s approach to communication and collaboration. Instrumental in nearly every aspect of Institute policy, operations, academics, and student life, the Student Government Association\u2019s newest leaders are motivated to change the Institute through personal experiences, but readily acknowledge their goals are achievable only with the help of their fellow Yellow Jackets. \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EHailing from Albany, Georgia, Undergraduate Student Government (USGA) President Corey Boone is a third-year management major and aspiring human rights attorney. A love of advocacy was a key factor in his decision to run for USGA president. \u201cI wanted to be president because I felt that my experiences here have prepared me to be a strong advocate for students,\u201d said Boone. \u201cI also felt that there exists so much potential to better the student experience here. I knew at my core that it was something that I needed to do, and I am so glad that the students agree.\u201d Though he is confident in his mission, Boone remains grounded in his respect for his fellow students. \u201cI\u0027m honored to serve in this position. If anyone had told me three years ago that I would be student body president, I wouldn\u0027t have believed them.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDuring his presidency, Boone wants \u201cto create an enriched student experience that brings us together as a community and moves us beyond the year-to-year issues that continually weigh us down.\u201d This includes \u201ca more transparent student government through restructuring our communications board, better faculty\/student relationship through an Institute-wide mentoring program, lengthened dining hours at our Student Center and increased collaboration amongst student organizations through incentives for collaboration,\u201d as well as the completion of the student portal initiative.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIronically, Boone \u201chad no intentions of coming to Georgia Tech,\u201d but decided to visit campus after listening to Leslie Jackson, a Georgia Tech alumna and assistant director of special recruitment, speak about her Georgia Tech experience. \u201cI toured the campus and knew immediately that Georgia Tech was the right fit for me. This campus is so rich with tradition, yet it sits in the heart of the most progressive city in the South. I couldn\u0027t think of a better fit.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJoining Boone on his mission to improve the student experience is Brenda Morales-Pico, the executive vice president (EVP) of undergraduate student government. \u201cI am extremely honored to be serving Georgia Tech in this capacity and am looking forward to working with the new representatives and the executive cabinet, in addition to the administration, to enrich the student experience at Georgia Tech,\u201d she said.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn her role, Morales-Pico will concentrate on \u201cencouraging and inspiring [student] representatives to do the best that they can in serving as a voice for their constituents and as accountable and responsible stewards of their Student Activity Fee. I feel that one of the best ways that I can do this is to provide representatives with the tools and the training that they need in order to do their jobs well.\u201d She also hopes \u201cto ensure that student priorities are advanced on campus and on the state level, and that the student opinion is given weight and consideration in every decision that is made on this campus.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESince arriving at Georgia Tech by way of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Norcross, Georgia, Morales-Pico has been actively engaged in numerous SGA committees as well as in undergraduate research and the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. These experiences gave the biochemistry major with a French minor a sense of the relationship between student leadership and the value of her degree as well as the motivation to run for office. \u201cThe (student) representatives really serve as the liaison between the student body and the Student Government. In a sense, the House is also a training ground for many students who eventually go on to take other leadership positions, and I would like to ensure that we continue our legacy of strong leadership at Georgia Tech,\u201d she explained.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile Morales-Pico hopes to attend medical school after graduation, she is certain that her time at Georgia Tech will have been a wise investment in her future. \u201cI ultimately chose to attend Georgia Tech because of its reputation for excellence and its great value. I knew a degree from Georgia Tech would have the same \u2013 if not more \u2013 value than a degree from the other universities that I was considering.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERepresenting the graduate student body will be Anthony Baldridge, Graduate Student Government Association (GSGA) president. He is a fourth-year graduate student in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, hails from Blue Ridge, Georgia, and plans to pursue a career in academia. While active in Graduate Student Government for the past three years, Baldridge \u201cwanted to become more involved to help make a difference at Tech.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAmong his priorities, Baldridge hopes \u201cto facilitate communication amongst graduate students so that significant campus events are conveyed to the graduate body,\u201d particularly decisions related to health insurance. \u201cAdditionally, there will be a focus on grad student professional development with the [annual] career event held in March and the graduate student research symposium held in February,\u201d he said.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBaldridge sees students as key drivers of change, especially graduate student government. \u201c[GSAG\u2019s] most significant charge is to be the student voice to the administration and convey the issues of students.\u201d He hopes to increase student involvement in the organizations. \u201cSGA truly is a great opportunity for any graduate student on campus,\u201d he said. \u201cThe initiatives that we pursue truly affect the entire student body.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EKathy Schnure, the new EVP of GSGA, shares Baldridge\u2019s concern for improved communications between students and the administration. \u201cAs the graduate population at Tech continues to grow, it is becoming increasingly important for the graduate voice to be heard,\u201d said Schnure. \u201cGraduate students have a unique set of needs and concerns, and Graduate Student Government exists to ensure those needs and concerns are heard by the administration.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPreviously serving as a graduate senator as well as a member of many committees, Schnure has already accomplished a great deal in her three years as a doctoral student in industrial and organizational psychology. \u201cI\u0027ve been a senator since my first year, and I\u0027ve served as the director of the Graduate Conference Fund and a member of the executive committee for the last two years,\u201d said Schnure. Looking ahead, she hopes to improve \u201ccommunication of policies, events, and generally important information to graduate students, [and conduct] a reassessment of our current health insurance provider. In addition, we\u0027ll be working to expand gtRIC, the Graduate Career Fair, and other events in the coming year.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis experience will likely prepare the Chicago-area native for her future career. \u201cAfter finishing my PhD, I\u0027d like to work on selection, assessment, or organizational effectiveness within a large corporation or a consulting firm,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Student Government Association Sets An Agenda Of Change"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe slate of newly elected graduate and undergraduate student\ngovernment presidents and vice presidents is set on innovating the\nInstitute\u2019s approach to communication and collaboration.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Change is afoot within the ranks of Georgia Tech\u2019s student leadership."}],"uid":"15436","created_gmt":"2010-05-20 14:39:41","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:06:01","author":"Automator","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2010-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2010-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"55616":{"id":"55616","type":"image","title":"Georgia Tech Tower","body":null,"created":"1449175556","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 20:45:56","changed":"1475894491","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:41:31","alt":"Georgia Tech Tower","file":{"fid":"190336","name":"teu10371.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/teu10371_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/teu10371_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":43266,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/teu10371_0.jpg?itok=9MR-TCZt"}}},"media_ids":["55616"],"groups":[{"id":"1317","name":"News Briefs"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"132","name":"Institute Leadership"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"9479","name":"anthony baldridge"},{"id":"9477","name":"brenda morales-pico"},{"id":"8590","name":"change"},{"id":"9476","name":"corey boone"},{"id":"9475","name":"elections"},{"id":"9478","name":"kathy schnure"},{"id":"166922","name":"sga"},{"id":"166923","name":"student government association"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}