After being sent to the board of trustees by my peers through hotly contested elections in each of the past two years, I am grateful and honored to appear on the ballot as a candidate for student trustee this year in uncontested form. Despite not facing an opponent this year, I am committed to generating awareness of this position and intend to use the election as an opportunity to do so.

A lot of things have changed in the course of my two terms of service to as UMass Lowell’s student trustee. One thing that has not changed and that will never change is my commitment to the principles that stirred in me the motivation to run for this position as a freshman in the spring of 2012.

An unwavering belief that UMass should remain affordable is still firmly embedded at the core of my ideology. Working towards adequate state funding for UMass, engaging students around that cause and spreading awareness of the current funding situation has been my longest lasting endeavor, and so it will remain for the duration of my third term. For the past two years I have worked to create and enhance a presence of UMass Lowell students at the State House for an annual day of advocacy in support of public higher education. In part due to these efforts, in 2013, for the first time in years, the UMass system was granted funding that allowed for a freeze in mandatory fee increases. Further, I have consistently used my position as a pulpit from which to advocate for this cause, for instance by partnering with my counterparts at the other UMass campuses to submit a statement to the Governor asking for adequate funding.

Another mission of mine has been to enhance and amplify the voice of students in the decision making process. I have been a leader in the fight to change a state law that establishes that only two of five UMass Student Trustees may vote each year. Votes are granted to just two campuses each year on a rotating basis, thereby silencing the voice of three unique student bodies each year. I have fought for this unjust limitation of student input to be lifted, and during my two terms we have seen great progress that I hope to sustain in my third term. Also, I have worked to create a Student Life Forum of the board of trustees that will have its inaugural meeting this month. The forum will serve as a venue for student concerns to be addressed, and will be an instrument for the more expedient advancement of student interests for years to come.

These are a few of the achievements that I am most proud of from my two years of service. I hope that you all have found me to be a good representative for the students at UMass Lowell. Even though I do not have to win an election this time around, the support of the awesome student body here means the world to me, and in my third term I will endeavor to maintain your support and will do my best to make you all proud as I represent you at the highest level of university governance. Thank you and please remember to vote!