Newly elected Freshman Class President Jumar Martin brings the foresight and motivation to innovate various Elon University amenities that could be beneficial to the whole student body. Such changes include addressing accessibility issues and making the OnTrack user experience smoother.
“Enacting huge change and being really radical about things [is a goal],” Martin said. “We really want to do something cool for the next four years, not just this year alone … I’ve set some pretty lofty goals, but I’m up for it.”
Martin’s drive to become the freshman class president started with a blog post declaring a set of personal goals. At Elon, he developed an admiration toward the class of 2023.
Martin is from Charlotte, so going to Elon was something his mom was very excited about since he wouldn’t be too far away. The academics, as well as the beautiful campus which he describes as “movie-like,” are what drew Martin to Elon.
In addition to his personal goals, Martin also wants to change Elon for the better. Although this is his first time participating in student government, Martin has already identified changes he intends to make. One of his priorities as student president is making Elon more accessible to everyone.
“Being a link between the students and administration wasn’t really a priority in my high school; it’s more of a priority here,” Martin said. “Not that I have experience as a president; I have experience being under such structures, and I didn’t like it. So instead of hating it and not doing anything about it, I decided to do something about it. I think it’s a good fit for me.”
Martin always makes the effort to be out and about on Elon’s campus, whether it’s his morning run, meeting with his SMART tutor or even creating stickers in the Maker Hub. Martin wants to encourage his peers to express any concerns or suggestions they have.
The class of 2023 elected Victoria Seymore as its vice president on Tuesday, Sept. 17. When asked why she wanted to run for vice president, Seymore responded, “I wanted the opportunity to serve my class, and I’m glad to have the chance to do it.”
As for what she wants to achieve as vice president, Seymore said she hopes to work toward creating a more diverse campus. She also explained that she wants to be “radical” with the changes she plans to make on campus, stating she “will do whatever needs to get done.”
Seymore plans to major in political science, which is one of the reasons she chose Elon University. She also cited Phoenix Fusion Weekend as another reason, saying the people she met there were inspiring. When she talked to those involved with the Student Government Association, she was impressed by what they were accomplishing.
However, Seymore did describe a feeling of being “duped” when she got to Elon. The diversity did not measure up to her expectations based on her experience at Phoenix Fusion.
Looking to change the status quo, Seymore is learning to define diversity in a new way. “It’s not just race,” she said. “It’s where you’re from and how you think and what you bring to the table.”
Kimberly Castano was elected secretary for the Class of 2023 on Sept. 17.
A native of Wolson, Connecticut, Castano discovered Elon University during her sophomore year of high school. She said, “It was like everyone in high school told me: ‘When you step on campus, you know that you know.’”
Castano has previous experience in student government, serving as class officer her freshman, sophomore and junior years of high school. During her senior year, she served as vice president. It was this experience that inspired her to get involved with Student Government Association at Elon.
As secretary, Castano will act as a liaison between students and SGA. Her duties include planning and organizing events, taking attendance and notes at SGA meetings and scheduling.
“Student government has always been so much fun, and I love being behind the scenes at a lot of events,” Castano said. “I hope I can do the exact same thing here and put my own personal spin or experience on Elon.”
Beyond her responsibilities as secretary, Castano plays for Elon’s club field hockey team and is a part of the Life, Chemistry and Environmental Studies Living and Learning Community.
To her peers, Castano emphasizes the importance of student voices, feedback and participation.
“SGA’s main commitment is to the students of Elon, promoting campus safety, civic engagement and school spirit,” Castano said. “We really want to hear back from the students … what can be changed and what can be better.”
Trevor Molin was elected as a Student Government Association treasurer on Tuesday, Sept. 17 in an unopposed election. The freshman from Wake Forest came to Elon University knowing he wanted to do more with his involvement at Elon. He wanted to make a difference.
“Elon has been something that I’ve been hearing about for over a decade now, and it’s always been in my life,” Molin said. “Now I have been presented with the opportunity to actually make a change, and that was just too good to pass up.”
Molin ran for the position because he felt that he could do the job confidently, given his lengthy resume of leadership experience in high school. Molin was involved in organizations such as National Honor Society, Distributive Education Clubs of America and student government.
Molin said making an impact on his community was a major source of inspiration to run for office. “I want to leave my mark on Elon as not just someone who went here for four years, but someone who actually had a part of the processes and what was going on on campus,” Molin said.
Just days after his election, Molin is already passionate about expanding dining hall hours and defining what diversity means to the Elon community. “As Elon, we should get behind one of those definitions and push that forward,” he said.
Regarding the senate body as a whole, Molin said he wants to promote collaboration and communication. “I think that’s really important that every single one of us comes into senate every single day with that mindset that ‘I want to have my mind changed’ or at least ‘I’m open to it,’” he said.