our newly elected senators

Hello! My name is Shivam Pathak and I am currently a freshman at the University of Delaware. Who is a true leader? As I became a part of organizations such as Business Professionals of America (BPA), DECA, FFA and NHS in high school, this question was answered quite easily. I was given the honor to be a state officer for BPA which was a life changing moment. Through this I came in contact with the state legislature and leading fortune 500 companies, as I made my network stronger, I got the answer to my question. A true leader is one who works for the betterment of their people, one who is time efficient and time bound and lastly a true leader is one who has self-confidence and self-respect. If given the opportunity to be a Student Affairs Senator, I will do all in my power to help and succeed in enhancing student life at UD.

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Yaren Usul is a freshman running for Student Affairs Senator. She is a chemistry major who plans to also minor in business. Her past leadership experiences will assist her in being the best representative she can be for the student body. She will make it her top priority to listen and settle any concerns YOU may have. She is skilled in connecting with her peers as she was President of the Student Government Association at her high school. She is running for Student Affairs Senator because she wants to be the advocate for the University students and help promote unity. Yaren’s determination and compassion will make her the best candidate for the position.

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Julia Hatoum is a freshman from Hockessin, Delaware. She is a Chemical Engineering major who hopes to minor in Environmental and/or Biochemical Engineering. She is also in the Honors program and a member of the Access:Ability Scholars program. She believes she has the skill set to improve the way we handle remote learning. She is knowledgeable on new and unconventional applications that could help with the social aspect of university life. She even has experience helping create an online application that could be used for the purpose of linking students together. Such improvements would help students meet and create friendships, stay connected, change their way of learning, improve mental health, and create a sense of belonging. Julia believes that our distance from campus does not need to correlate to the feeling of isolation and sees clear ways to improve community connection online.

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In my term, I have been the most active Student Affairs Senator. I have introduced and passed multiple resolutions to increase transparency and hope to have earned your vote for re-election.

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Prasanna is a freshman from Hockessin, Delaware, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He has served in several leadership/representative positions throughout high school, including President of student government and team captain of his varsity cross-country/track teams. As President, he has organized preparations for dances, pep rallies, and fundraisers for a thousand students. When his high school graduation was close to cancelled due to COVID-19 regulations, he helped ensure its safe occurrence by Zooming with faculty, gathering input from hundreds of students through his surveys, personally crafting a detailed plan for the ceremony, and advocating for these plans to admin. Prasanna is running for Senate to bring to our UD community his skill, decisiveness, and openness to listen and act on your concerns. He’ll campaign for an on-campus spring semester, easier Zoom schedules, greater professor availability, discrete accessibility to UD’s mental health resources, better virtual social events, and campus sustainability.

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Sarah is a sophomore from Long Island, New York majoring in Energy and Environmental Policy, with a minor in Public Policy. Sarah is currently a UNIV101 peer mentor at UD, where she works to help freshmen adjust to campus. In addition, Sarah has a history of leadership from her high school field hockey team as captain, and worked to improve the team and the game experience for all of her teammates. She is excited to be able to make improvements in the UD community to make it a better place, where all students can feel included, safe, and comfortable. Sarah is a major advocate for social justice movements, such as justice for all races, genders, religions and sexual orientations. Sarah’s passion for these will be evident in the work she will do in SGA, as she has a desire to make all of these things a priority for student life.

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My name is Dervla Doherty and I’m a junior honors pre veterinary and agriculture and natural resources double major with a minor in wildlife ecology and conservation. I have spent the past year working as the Academic Affairs Senator for SGA and I have loved strengthening the bond between the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources with the rest of the student body. Additionally, I am a member of the professional agricultural sorority, Sigma Alpha, which allows me to develop my professional skills while also providing a platform that I can utilize to promote my ideas from SGA.

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As a Native American woman, it’s my duty to uphold the University of Delaware’s promise of diversity and inclusivity for all, especially within the College of Arts and Sciences. With it being the largest college on campus, it’s imperative that I introduce legislation to make sure awareness and sensitivity is being encouraged in the classroom. We have to ensure that today’s students, but tomorrow’s leaders and professionals are properly equipped to interact with all people. I have leadership experience, having served as the student representative on the POLYTECH School Board of Education for the 2018-2019 school-year. As a student leader within the Youth in Government program through the YMCA, I fulfilled leadership roles three out of my four years in the program. My passion for advocacy empowers me to spend my remaining time at UD fighting for equality and justice for all within the College of Arts and Sciences.

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Paige is a sophomore from Chester County, Pennsylvania, majoring in Environmental Science with a concentration in Marine Science. Previously, she served as a Student Affairs Senator and was a student representative for the Undergrad Student Affairs Committee. Paige has been involved in campus improvements in the library and has been an influential voice in decisions and policies regarding undergraduate student academics. All of her previous leadership roles have given her the experience to be able to speak up, act, and make a change. Paige’s main goal is to ensure sure that every student in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment is heard and represented.

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Brenden Swanik is a second-year Honors Biomedical Engineering student from Moorestown, NJ. Currently he is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and would love to become your College of Engineering Academic Senator. UD is on the frontier of innovation both in culture and technology and he wouldn’t want anything more than to contribute to that cause. Throughout Brenden’s time at UD, besides learning of its unlimited ability to expose students to new cultures, schools of thought, and communities, this university has sparked a passion for innovation and inclusion. He hopes to inspire you to explore these various opportunities allowing the College of Engineering to spread its wings and optimize the University of Delaware experience for all of its students. Brenden loves working with others, is always listening and is striving to achieve a timeless and priceless college experience which you all deserve.

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