It was that time of the year when the smell of freshly printed flyers filled the air and chalk campaigns took over the pavement. Wheaton’s SGA elections have come and gone.
Under the spotlight was the open position of SGA President. With current President Joey Campbell’s ’14 approaching graduation, this year Wheaton was very lucky to have two excellent candidates for the position: Aicha Diouf ’15 and John Carando ’15. After election results came in following a two-day election period, Carando was announced as the new president.
Both candidates boasted impressive qualifications. Diouf is an International Relations major with a concentration in European and Russian studies, currently studying abroad in Paris. Before she left for her abroad experience, Diouf was the treasurer for the Black Student Association. Showing an early interest in student government, Diouf also held an executive board position as SGA Secretary in her sophomore year.
When asked why she wanted to run for SGA President, Diouf responded: “SGA is my passion. I believe in the power the students and SGA have to improve the Wheaton community as well as maintain the things we find useful.”
One of Diouf’s main goals if elected President would have been to improve communication between students and administration. In regards to the misunderstandings between Public Safety officers and students, she commented, “Misunderstandings are natural, of course, but I believe that although they happen, they still should be talked about and handled in a way that next time we can avoid such things.”
As a leader of the Wheaton community, Diouf strives to put the students first: “I have a lot of ideas, but it isn’t all about my ideas or what I want to accomplish but what the Wheaton community believes is important and is an issue that should be answered,” she said.
Similarly, the second candidate and ultimate winner of the election, Carando, is had an early interest in SGA and is an active member of the student body. Carando is a religion major and is very involved in club sports on campus, especially club soccer. He is also the co-president of the Human Element club, which is a new club that works to bridge the gaps between different groups of people on campus.
As the Representative to the Board of Trustees and Alumnae/I (RBOTA), John became familiar with the way in which the SGA works. Carando’s enjoyment for his RBOTA position, as well as his close connection to SGA, makes running for President feel like the next natural step in his college career.
Carando’s agenda is first and foremost to listen to the Wheaton Community. As SGA President, he wants to represent all the different student perspectives and uncover untapped potential on campus. Carando commented that he is very interested in the well being of the community.
“I want to always be reconsidering things. There is a disconnect between students and student government here. I don’t want that. Instead, I want to do whatever I can to create an open channel between students and SGA. Whether I am behind the scenes or out in the open, I want to get things done.”