Name: Chantal Lima Barbosa
Age: 20
Hometown: Praia, Cape Verde
Major: Political Science and Legal Studies
Current Residence: Southwest
Relationship Status: Single
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Her Campus: So, Chantal, what are you involved in on campus?
Chantal Lima Barbosa: I’m in the SGA, I work at the SORC, and I’m the president of the CVSA.
HC: How did you get started with the SGA?
CLB: I applied last spring when they were looking for someone to be Secretary of Outreach. As a political science major, I always wanted to be involved in the SGA. So I got in, and I became the Secretary of Outreach; which means I take care of the social media, try to help out RSOs work with the SGA, and help keep them involved. I just talk to a lot of people, but I want to do something.
HC: What are some things that you’d like to do in the future with the SGA?
CLB: I want to bring the issues of students of color to the forefront, especially after the events that happened last semester. I’d also love to work on meal plans, and to root for RSOs amidst the SGA. I really care about RSOs, especially after my work with the CVSA (Cape Verdean Students’ Alliance) and my job at the SORC, and I want to make sure they have the tools they need. For cultural RSOs, I definitely want to make sure they have the funds to have the necessary food at their events, since catering is very expensive and can be pretty limited in terms of selection.
HC: Can you tell us a little bit about some of the stuff that the CVSA will be doing this spring?
CLB: Yes. We have our CVSA Cultural Night on April 11 at 7:30 in the Student Union Ballroom as a commemoration of Cape Verde’s 40 years of independence from Portugal, and we’re also taking a trip to Cape Verde on spring break. We also have elections coming up before Spring Break and a cookout at the end of the year.
HC: What’s the trip for?
CLB: We’ll be going to Fogo, the island that had a volcanic eruption in November which caused a lot of devastation to the island. The explosion was the largest one they’d seen, much bigger than the eruption there in 1995, and the lava flow swallowed up some towns and there was a lot of other damage. We’ll be going to help in the area, visiting schools, repairing buildings, bringing supplies to the children, and comforting the victims. This will be the UMass CVSA’s fifth trip to Cape Verde.
[Ed. Note: If you want to help Chantal go on the trip, you can donate here]
HC: With the SGA, the CVSA, the SORC, and being a double major-how do you juggle it all?
CLB: Well, for the first time, I actually have an agenda to write down what I have to do. I also have office hours that I can do work in, so that helps a lot. Most of it, I guess, is doing work where and when you can. That said, I’m very grateful to have a support system with this, in that I can rely on the CVSA E-Board, the SGA, and my coworkers if something goes wrong. Keeping the agenda wasn’t easy first semester, but I guess it turned out all right.