2020 School of Public Affairs Womxn of the Year: Schanelle Saldanha ’22
Her Campus American University’s 2020 Womxn of the Year for the School of Public Affairs is Schanelle Saldanha. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Schanelle and discuss her engagement with the community, plans for the future, and more.
Her Campus American University: Why don’t we start with you telling us a little bit about yourself?
Schanelle Saldanha: Hi, I’m Schanelle and I’m a junior with a double major in Political Science and Communication Studies. I am the Vice President of American University’s Student Government (AUSG) and I’m currently conducting schoolwork, work, and extracurriculars from right outside of Pittsburgh.
HCAU: Can you tell me a little bit more about your position as Vice President of American University’s Student Government?
Schanelle Saldanha: As Vice President, I primarily oversee the programming of AUSG and that takes place in the form of the four programming boards, Kennedy Political Union, Women’s Initiative, Student Union Board, and Founders Week. We facilitate a variety of events with speakers and artists and the biggest thing that we’ve focused on this semester is how to adapt and engage with students on a virtual platform. We are exploring a wide variety of avenues in ways to make it exciting and interactive for students and I think we’ve been able to do that pretty well through hosting speakers and artists to facilitate important conversations that are needed on campus and around the country. That’s why we executed an entire Black Lives Matter series with Dr. Angela Davis and No Name so that students could engage with these important conversations.
What’s interesting about programming is that there is a lot of untapped potential, specifically with regards to our events. I think some may overlook that having these conversations and hosting dialogues are forms of advocacy in in it of itself and we want to provide that to students since our job is to serve them. That is our goal moving forward and I am grateful to be a part of that this semester.
HCAU: Tell us about your favorite AUSG event this semester.
Schanelle Saldanha: I would say either be our event with Dr. Angela Davis or our most recent event with Andrew Yang. I think our event with Dr. Angela Davis was really special because it was the first time that the three programming boards collaborated on this series around a really important cause and conversation. To host such a Civil Rights icon within the BLM movement and have her speak on those key issues was really meaningful for a lot of students. Most recently, we hosted Andrew Yang and that was also really special. I think he’s a very interesting politician- very unconventional in a lot of ways- and he is one of the few Asian American politicians who did run for office. As a member of the AAPI (Asian American/Pacific Islanders) community it was really cool to finally host an Asian American Speaker. Obviously, he’s not perfect and has made mistakes himself but I’m glad he took accountability and addressed some of the criticism that has come his way. In that way, I think those two events are at the top of my list.
HCAU: What are your plans for after graduation?
Schanelle Saldanha: That is a great question and I’m not too sure, but I would love to pursue something in political communications and this semester I’m actually interning on the Press Team for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. It has been a very cool experience as I’ve looked up to her for years. She was the first Indian American woman elected to the House and has spearheaded so many important initiatives and policies while being such a leader for her district. It has been such a unique experience being part of her team and I’ve learned a lot about political communications, so that really interests me. Through that experience I’ve learned a lot about press and the digital landscape so I would love to work in press/media, political communications, or even in a nonprofit organization.
HCAU: Can you speak about any womxn that inspire you specifically? [Womxn: people of all genders, not just the people who subscribe to the traditional definition of “women.” “Womxn” represents all people who are affected by issues of misogyny and sexism.]
Schanelle Saldanha: Yes, I spoke about her previously but Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal just won her reelection and obviously that was huge. But, I grew up in a predominantly White area and didn’t see myself represented in a variety of spaces. I remember when she won her election four years ago, and what that representation meant for me as an Indian-American woman to see someone from Chennai, India about to serve in Congress. Actually, her campaign is what sparked my interest in politics. So, she is someone I look up to especially because she’s gone beyond just that representation and has truly fought for progressive causes and policies too.
I would also like to shout out my VP Cabinet. We have a primarily womxn run cabinet so all three directors are all Womxn of Color – Amrutha Chatty (KPU Director), Thamara Aridou (WI Director), and Olivia Al (SUB Director). I am grateful for their leadership, inspired by their leadership, and working with them is amazing. Getting to work with strong, intelligent, and amazing WOC every day is incredible and necessary to do what we do.
HCAU: What was your reaction when you found out you had been chosen for this award? What does being named Womxn of the Year mean to you?
Schanelle Saldanha: It was honestly such a surprise and I think this event doesn’t get enough recognition, including the work you guys do on campus (thank you queen!!). I do think it is cool to have this moment and be recognized not only for the work that I’ve done but for the work that so many womxn do on campus. With that, I’m very grateful.
To me, I think it is so important for womxn, especially for WOC, to continue to make space in the capacities that we can. For womxn at AU, that can mean a variety of different things. I think this award not only showcases the importance of having a seat at the table but using our voice at the table as well. I love that this award highlights womxn and their accomplishments on and off campus. So, yes, I appreciate it very much.
On behalf of Her Campus at American University and the entire American University community, we would like to thank Schanelle Saldanha for everything she has done to advance equality and inclusivity on our campus.
Photo Credit: Schanelle Saldanha