Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement in any way. Her Campus Holy Cross does not endorse any particular political candidate or ideas.
Her Campus writers Callie Gillan and Sophia Tran went for coffee and a chat with SGA (Student Government Association) co-presidential candidate, Ashwin.
Ashwin is a current junior at the College of the Holy Cross running for the SGA co-president position alongside his running mate Luke. This past Saturday we met with Ashwin at Acoustic Java in Worcester to ask him some questions about his campaign. He has been abroad in England at Oxford University for his Junior year, but we were lucky enough for him to be at Holy Cross this week while on his break. We chatted and had a Q&A with Ashwin to learn more about him, his ideas, and his goals for his and Luke’s possible presidency.
Question: What made you decide to run for SGA co-president?
Ashwin had been a part of SGA since his freshman year, and something he’s noticed is a disconnect between the student body and SGA. What do they actually do, and do they actually act on what they say they are going to do? These are questions many students have about SGA. “I feel having been in it, having known what it’s like, we can change that [disconnect].” Ashwin goes on to say his “drive for change, drive for more transparency and accountability” is one of the main reasons he decided to run for this position. In addition to being a part of SGA, Ashwin has been a part of multitude of other organizations, and he feels through he can bring his different experiences to this position.
Q: What are your main goals you hope to achieve if you end up winning the election? Are there any changes you would like to make to benefit students?
Ashwin explained his main goals and vision that he hopes to achieve if he wins the election. He explained that he and Luke have a vision plan with “5 pillars.” They want to redefine Holy Cross’s identity through service and dialogue, meaning they want to bring more diversity to the students. He was very passionate about wanting diversity to have a voice and for student groups to be able to share their voice. Ashwin also made a good point about wanting to make resources more accessible, and even be able to use resources around Worcester. He shared that he thinks the resources for sexual violence should be broadcasted a better and be made more readily available so that students can easily access them and get the help they need. Holy Cross has the money for resources, but Ashwin wants to help them use it more efficiently. Another area where finances were touched upon was the tuition prices increasing. Ashwin made a great point by asking, “If tuition prices and meal prices are increasing, why aren’t dining dollars also increasing as well?” His passion was very apparent and you can definitely see the empathy he has for fellow students.
Q: What are some challenges you have faced throughout this process, and how have you overcome them?
One of the main challenges Ashwin cited was him and his running mate Luke being abroad. The two had to participate in far more outreach than they would have if they had been on campus, but Ashwin also notes this could be considered a positive too. His experience being back on campus for the past two days has been nothing but positive with students approaching him stating they like his ideas and vision. He also acknowledged that there were so many people on campus still that knew his previous experience, which helped cultivate connections and create a strong base, even while being abroad.
Another challenge Ashwin faced was making sure his campaign’s ideas were distinct and well articulated. Different campaigns can feel like they are all saying and promising the same things, so making sure they differentiated their ideas was important.
Q: What are some positive things you have experienced/learned as you have been running for co-president?
On the other hand, Ashwin had many positive things he’s learned and experienced while running for co-president. He really enjoys how people love the idea of change. He liked how much positive feedback he received when showing that he wanted to help change things in our school. Ashwin said that he and Luke felt positive about how well their interpersonal skills had helped them during the election. Being able to chat and interact with other students like himself he explained was very important, or was “important to be integrated with other students.” Reaching out to different groups and clubs, just like Her Campus, Ashwin said is a big part of trying to share his ideas.
Q: How has your identity shaped who you are today?
Ashwin is a first generation Malaysian Indian, as his parents immigrated here in 1999, and he states the importance of family and values as an integral part of who he is. Ashwin is the only person currently running who has served on the e-board of an MSO (multicultural student organizations) and will be senior advisor on DESI next year. Furthermore, Ashwin notes that he is the first Asian student to ever run for SGA president.
When asked about how his identity shaped who he is today, Ashwin stated, “Value wise, it’s all about getting through the challenges ahead of you while also being thankful for where you came from…it’s about giving back and being a bit selfless when you can.” “My family instilled that value of always returning the favor in some way, making sure the community you’re in is enriched by you, having enriched you.” Ashwin’s powerful words show his strong belief in giving back and helping. Having been enriched by Holy Cross he feels “SGA is my opportunity to give back.” He goes on further by saying all MSO’s and RSO’s (registered student organizations) should all “feel like part of a community, but [we] also also understand that they have distinct values, and we want to respect that…and give them the space and the resources to thrive.”
We had a great conversation while meeting for coffee and are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Ashwin.