#esg elections

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Meet Joel Lozada Yañez and Winona Hawker-Boehne

Joel Lozada Yañez and Winona Hawker-Boehne for Vice President of Nominations

  Joel Lozada Yañez 

My name is Joel de Jesus Lozada Yañez. I am a senior politics major from Mexico City, Mexico.

In these last four years, I have been involved with Sociedad de Estudiantes Latinos, Model United Nations, Student Faculty Affairs Committee, and the Student Executive Council as Vice-President of Nominations for the year 2011. I am involved in the Senior Gift Committee. This is my second year playing for Earlham’s Football team.

I have served in this position before. This previous involvement, along with additional involvement after the end of my term, allowed me to get more developed ideas about how this role works for the larger community and how this service can be more effective in communication and outreach.

I see the VP of Nominations role as a way not only to represent students, but to empower students to raise their voice and be heard by the administration.

I find it crucial that student representatives represent Earlham’s diversity of opinions, interests, and population.

The VP of Nominations is responsible of keeping track of developments in all committees as well as to communicate these developments to the larger Earlham community.

I have decided to run for one more term because I feel that Earlham is at a turning point, and so are our students and our student government. I feel that Earlham needs creative but feasible ideas, proposals, and solutions. All of which Wynn and me can provide through our experience in building community.

Moreover, Wynn and I are a great fit for position given our experience, ideas, and our love for Earlham. We aim not only to represent you, but to empower you to make a difference at Earlham.

Vote Joel and Wynn! Vote EPIC!

Winona Hawker-Boehne 

My name is Winona, but many know me as Wynn or Winnie. I have been involved at Earlham since I arrived as a first-year with Spectrum. I have also been involved with ESG since Spring 2011, when I was appointed to the Curricular Policy Committee.

Since then I have served as a senator for three semesters. I have also been an RA in Bundy for three semesters.

I value this campus, the student body, along with getting the student voices heard and our needs met. Through my involvement I have learned what ESG has done well and I’ve learned what ways to help make ESG the most effective for students.

I see the VP of Nominations position as being a sort of student representative manager role. The VP of Nominations has to be in constant communication with student representatives and needs to be able to offer advice to students struggling in their committees.

The VP of Nominations has to know a wide breadth of students, because they help decide which students serve on Earlham’s many committees.

Student representation needs to be diverse so that all students feel their interests are being represented. 

I have decided to run because I believe that my skills could benefit this campus and ESG. I have skills in listening to broad student/campus opinions, helping systems improve for student benefit, and cultivating community.

You should vote for me because my main concern is allowing your voice to be heard and your needs met. My job is not to further my own interests, but to allow your interests to shine through in campus policy.

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Meet Nicole Griffin-Medina, Ximena Banegas Zallio, and Sam Embry

Nicole Griffin-Medina, Ximena Banegas, and Sam Embry for Student Body Co-Presidents

Nicole Griffin-Medina

My name is Nicole Griffin-Medina and I am a sophomore from California. I have been involved in Earlham’s Governance Process as a committee representative for the International Education Committee.

This participation allowed me to get involved with Model United Nations, NSO as co-convenor of the International and Multiculutural Committee, and as co-convenor of Homecoming 2012. I find myself familiar and comfortable voicing student concerns with Faculty and Staff.

I have come to appreciate and value the opportunities that Earlham offers for interested and active students to make a difference in the world around them.

As co-president, I aim to empower as many students to have the opportunity to make these changes possible.

I am part of a dynamic tri-ticket that will ensure that Earlham remains engaged with issues that will affect our diverse student body. We will promote school spirit, cooperation, and dialogue between all students. We will ensure that all students’ voices are heard, considered, and held in equal respect and attention. Our tri-ticket will promote Earlham as a “home” for all of us.

Our goal is to be accessible facilitators and serve as a voice box of our community’s needs and concerns by promoting thoughtful consensus. Moreover, we aim to strengthen our Student Senate. Senate will become the ultimate resource on campus for active student leadership at Earlham and the wider Richmond community.

Ximena Banegas Zallio

My name is Ximena Purita Banegas Zallio and I am from Bolivia. This is my second year at Earlham and I am pursuing a double major in International Studies and Business & Non-profit Management. 

I first became involved with student government in my first year by convening the Student Organization Council, of which I am still a member.  

I believe that running is a great responsibility and brings with it a lot of work, but I firmly believe that the student government is the representative voice of the student body. Therefore we should actively use this voice if we want to pursue meaningful changes in our community.

My experience in various organizations has taught me that we have the resources to overcome the problems that Earlham faces, we just need to get involved and get working. Sometimes we complain too much about how things should change, but it all stays in amazing ideas that just vanish eventually. Less words should be said and more action should be taken and this is my way of taking action.

I would  put great emphasis on communication from the student government towards the student body. The students should feel that the student government is a vital aspect of student life.

I know for sure that the current student government has been working very hard on this aspect, but it is definitely something that needs to keep improving. Our presidency would consist of a hard effort to make all voices heard and respected.

Sam Embry

Hello, hello, my name is Sam Embry. I am a junior majoring in Sociology and Anthropology and am from New York City. I am the Vice President of the Earlham College Democrats, Vice President of the SOAN club, and play goalkeeper on the men’s varsity soccer team.

On a campus where students are given the chance to be directly involved in the school’s governing process, I think it is incredibly important for students to participate and feel that they are heard. I have seen many students attempt to have their voices and opinions carry significance on campus and would love to have the opportunity to make that happen in a way that produces visible change on campus.

I expect to face barriers and I expect to find the space around them in which students’ can be catalysts. I think that I have the ability to understand and be receptive to the varying communities within Earlham’s larger community and the determination to create a positive environment.

The role of the student government is to accurately represent the concerns of the student body. 

Whether students are concerned about the relationship between students and professors, the hiring of new staff, the relationship between differing communities of students, security, residence life, or the state of social life, student government is responsible for representing their concerns. 

In connection with student Senate, I would like to create a forum attractive to all students to share. 

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Meet Robert Awkward and Basil Farraj

Robert Awkward and Basil Farraj for Student Body Co-Presidents

Robert Awkward

My name is Robert Awkward. I am a junior majoring in HDSR and Spanish and Hispanic Studies. 

I have, through my participation and involvement in various events, activities and committees both on and off-campus, acquired a lot of experience and skills and learned about the role of the student government and the various committees at Earlham. 

To mention a few, I have been a member of the Student Senate, the Committee for Campus Life, the College Meeting for Worship Cabinet and the Program Board. I believe that the experiences and skills I have acquired, alongside my passion and love for Earlham, qualify me for the position.

Basil Farraj

My name is Basil Farraj. I am a junior majoring in International Studies and Business and Non-Profit Management. I am participating in the upcoming ESG elections because I believe in my ability to lead, to create effective change on campus, to listen attentively to my peers and to precisely address their issues and concerns. The experience I gained through my participation in organizations and groups on and off campus and my love for learning make me a qualified candidate for this position.

We are both running for the position of co-presidency because we believe that more can be done to increase the level of engagement and participation amongst students with their student government and to ensure that ESG is a true representation of the student body and their voice on campus.

We will work together, as a student body, to address our concerns and ensure that they are not only acted upon, but that those actions reflect the voices of the students, rather than the “essence” of a generalized student populace.

One of the topics that we will be addressing heavily if elected is the relationship between Public Safety and the student body. 

We will work with the entire Public Safety staff to provide more accessibility and work towards a more fluid relationship between the staff and the student body. Both of us have worked closely with members of the office and have developed personal relationships that will effectively aid us in our work to come.

Student relationships with the Office of Residence Life are also crucial as we move forward in the next year. We will use the transformations that are occurring throughout the office to our advantage to strengthen new relationships with administrators and incorporate their fresh takes on the Earlham housing process, as well as residence hall living.

Our vision is that these interactions will continue to benefit students with the creation of a stronger student influence on the community.

Changes must occur in Earlham’s housing processes, student weekend activities, the view of the role of Public Safety, and student involvement in their daily environment.With your contributions, we continue to engage together, to strengthen one another.

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Meet Abhinav Khanal

Abhinav Khanal for Vice President of Communications

Abhinav Khanal

I am a first-year double majoring in Politics and Economics. I am running for the position of Vice President of Communications. 

I have grown up travelling around the world. For the past two years, I have been at a high school with 200 students from all over the world, broadening my knowledge of the world and some of the most crucial issues concerning our generation.

I am a very idealistic person and I believe that change is possible only when it is desired. 

Therefore, I believe in the idea of a Student Government, which provides the platform for students to bring the change that they deem necessary in their community. 

I can use the experience I have in communications in order to create a more transparent student government and bridge the gap between the student government and the student body. 

Furthermore, I will have to be involved in Student Government Activities and I look forward to joining fellow students in organizing and becoming a part of such events and initiatives. 

Finally, I believe this is one with great leadership and with each leadership position; it is absolutely necessary to lead with example. I certainly hope to do so through my involvement in the community.

I believe that the Earlham Student Government provides a great opportunity for student leaders to develop negotiation skills, which I certainly hope to develop. I want to run for the position of VP of communications, because I hope to create a more transparent student government and communicate with the student body as effectively as possible. 

I believe that I have the skills and dedication to become the focal point of communication between the Student Government and the Student body. 

One of the things that I look forward to working on as a VP of Communications is creating a website for the Earlham Student Government that would provide more transparent communication between the student body and the College. 

Some of the features of the website would include a page on financial records of the student government, discussion forums, updates on new policies, profiles of current Senators and a media section with pictures and videos of the Student Government’s activities. In addition to that, I look forward to continuing the on-going work done by Rossa such as the publishing of EC-Leaks.

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Meet Shatha Sbeta and Sonia Kabra

Shatha Sbeta and Sonia Kabra for Secretary of Finance

Shatha Sbeta

My name is Shatha Sbeta, I am a first-year from Tripoli, Libya. 

I am interested in global issues and my biggest concern at the moment is women’s rights in Libya. Workings with people from different backgrounds and different ideas and perspectives have helped me to look at issues in a different way.

Since I started living abroad independently, I have set a financing discipline for my life. This has helped me develop a strategy to save and think twice before I make a decision about money. That is one of the reasons I was attracted to the position which also makes me feel confident when dealing with money. 

I believe in change. I would like to make a change in the Earlham community, to make it a better place by having a more transparent student government in terms of finance, so that students are not being skeptical about the student government’s financial activities.

In addition, this is a great opportunity to get involved in the community and to get to know more people and have a better understanding of school’s policies and its financial investments. 

On a personal note, I am going to be studying Politics and, therefore, this is a great opportunity for me to hold such a role in the student government.

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Meet Juan Pablo Rabanales and Kavi Ramburn

Juan Pablo Rabanales and Kavi Ramburn for Secretary of Finance

Juan Pablo Rabanales

My name is Juan Pablo Rabanales and I’m from Guatemala. I’m currently a sophomore double-majoring in Economics and International Studies. I’ve worked in various positions where I’ve had to manage budgets and allocate resources efficiently, such as Box Office Manager and Marketing Manager for Earlham’s Events Office; and as a Logistics Manager for a business consultancy company in Guatemala. These and other experiences have allowed me to develop the skills that are necessary for this position. 

Kavi Ramburn

My name is Kavi Ramburn and I’m from the island of Mauritius. I’m currently a junior, double-majoring in Economics and International Studies. I’ve had experience working with the Earlham Student Government in my first year at Earlham, representing the Model United Nations Club. In addition, I’ve gained valuable skills by following a course in entrepreneurship during the summer of 2012, which may help me in better serving the student body as the Secretary of Finance.

Even though the position of Secretary of Finance is generally fulfilled by one person we are applying conjunctly since Kavi is going abroad to Spain in the spring; and JP will be studying in France next fall. We believe that our qualifications would help us enable the ESG and Earlham to achieve its goals and visions. We aspire to further improve the transparency that the ESG has maintained over the years and to develop a greater awareness of the activities that the ESG carries out. Our impression is that the majority of students are not aware of the opportunity of applying for funds and getting support from ESG to carry out different activities. As Secretary of Finance, we seek to reach out to a greater number of students by making the request and approval of funds more effective. By facilitating this process we think Earlham can strengthen its position as an institution where students are able to fulfill their goals and have a more holistic educational experience. Our vision is therefore to increase the involvement and participation of students in the everyday life at Earlham.