Name: Iyanna Pierre-Louis
Year: Junior
Major: Criminology and Psychology
Hometown: Miami, FL
Involvement: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Chairwoman of Internal Affairs in the 67th Student Senate and Student Body Vice-President Candidate
Her Campus (HC): With a double major and being Chairwoman you have tons on your plate! What are your plans for after graduation?
Iyanna Pierre-Louis (IP): I am definitely leaning towards law school. Currently, I work at the Florida State College of Law so every day I get to encounter a lot of law students. I have a great interest in politics and I would love to be in the DC area, definitely an Olivia Pope type. [laughs]
HC: With such a big interest in student government and politics, where did this passion stem from?
IP: Leadership has always been very important me. Whether it was being line leader or running for a committee in school, I liked the idea being able able to guide and help others. I’ve always had a knack for that. With politics in general, you’re there to fight for your constituents and make sure their voices are heard. That is very important to me.
HC: Speaking of changes, can you tell us a little about how you plan to implement some of your ideas and the student body’s needs here on campus?
IP: I am currently running for Student Body Vice President under a new political party called Vitality. Our whole motto is to “vitalize the student body voices,” whether that is unrepresented student RSO’s or agencies that don’t necessarily receive as much funding as they should, our purpose is to make sure that everyone is accounted for. That whole ideal ties back into my personal goals of creating and advocating change for those who are understated in the community. As members of the student government it’s our job to allocate the budget that we have to the Florida State community, so it’s in the student’s best interests to know what they’re paying for and what resources are available to them. I want to help make the student body more knowledgeable as well as giving students opportunities to join SGA who previously might not have been, able to do so.
HC: What do you hope that you will have contributed to FSU after you graduate?
IP: Just to point out like the elephant in the room so to speak, a lot of African American women are not involved in SGA, so holding certain positions I am able to represent not only being a minority as a woman but also the minority of the minority. If granted the position that I am running for, I would be the first Haitian-American to hold, which would be great. I would say that that’s a legacy that I want to leave, every young woman either Black White, Hispanic, Asian, it doesn’t matter. Anyone can do this; it’s just putting your mind to it. Also, stepping out of your comfort zone. A lot of the time we come to FSU and have our own little cliques and tend to stay there but that’s not what college is about? If you want to make a difference on campus, you cant just surround yourself with one group. It’s about stepping out of that comfort zone, partaking in different events and then being able to say “hey, I really did enjoy my time here at Florida State, because I was involved in so many different areas on campus.”
HC: Okay last question. You are so involved on campus, what do you like to do in your free time?
IP: Well, when I do have time for myself, I try to catch up on my shows. Scandal of course, but I never have time when they actually come on television though so I watch it online. But, I will say, one thing that I love… is karaoke!