With SGA elections rapidly approaching, Her Campus UH decided to let y’all get to know our presidential candidates a little bit better. Being involved in your campus community is an amazing opportunity—one that we as students should grab hold of! Think about the issues that are important to you- textbook prices, mental health resources, parking- and find a candidate who shares your point of views!
Voting Days: February 28 – March 2
Let’s meet Winni Zhang!
I am pursuing a double degree (B.S. in Political Science, B.A. in Liberal Studies- minoring in Business Administration and Law, Values and Policy). My goals are to enter law school, and start off as an International Corporate Lawyer. Depending on my level of success, I would love to be able to dedicate a chunk of time in my life to be an international humanitarian lawyer, focusing specifically on women’s rights in developing countries. Somewhere in between all of that is the possibility of running for a position in politics, either at the state or national level (world domination sounds nice too). My favorite place to hang out on campus is definitely the Student Centers!
1.Goals are part of the reason you’re running for office, I presume. What’s one of your goals/ things you want to work on if you get elected?
One of the goals we have is fixing our Health Services on campus. Our mental health clinic is ranked LAST in Texas for professional staff to student ratio. We are a Tier One research institution that is more than 2x the IACS (International Association of Counseling Services) recommended ratio of 1 professional staff: 1,500 students. My goal would be to help CAPS begin plans for a new building (they are stuck with half of the 2nd floor and half of the 3rd floor of SS1, and their clinic is not wheel chair accessible). In addition to that, asking our University leadership to prioritize CAPS and fund it is absolutely essential. Right now, CAPS is all student fee funded and it’s barely keeping them afloat. Just like mental health services, I am passionate and knowledgeable about our other platform issues. Parking and Textbook Prices are two other goals my party and I would like to work on. If you want to ask me about these, feel free to!
2.Your running mate! Why did y’all decide to run together? What is your favorite thing about that person?
I love Adrian Hernandez! He has such a positive, happy outlook on life. He is genuinely the most kind-hearted person I have met. He truly cares for people, and he has the biggest heart for UH. He won Fraternity Man of the Year AND the Commitment to Character Award, he is such a rock star! My favorite thing about Adrian is how supportive he is. If I’m ever stressed, he will always send sweet text messages reassuring that everything will be okay. We work so well together, and I’m so humbled to be running with him!
3.What are some of the organizations that you’re involved with on campus?
I am also on the Speech and Debate team. Although I have not been active this semester due to Student Government, I still enjoyed my time and the friends I have met my entire first year here. In addition to this, I am the Vice President and a founder of CLASS Coogs, an ambassador program founded in 2010 for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.
4.Let’s talk about midday coffee fixes: What are the places that a UH student should hit up on and off campus? What drink is the one the barista probably has memorized as your drink at this point?
The best place on campus is Cougar Grounds. Not only do you get to drink delicious coffee, but you also get to support our fellow HRM cougars because they run the entire coffee shop (please tip because they’re great)! I always get the toffee doodle crunch or latte, it’s their best drink on the menu!
5.Last thing! What’s your elevator pitch for why people should vote for you?
I have been working for projects for the student body (improving CAPS, free pads/tampons, etc.) and I am fully invested in this university. I think people should vote for me because I have the experience, passion and plans to improve parking, improve health services, and improve textbook prices. You can check out more at : www.spiritRED2017.com