Meet Your CGS Student Government
This spring, the College of General Studies Class of 2027 elected new officers to represent their peers in the CGS Student Government Association for the upcoming year. We caught up with your representatives to talk about their CGS experiences and their plans for sophomore year.
Muneeb Mahmood, President
Why did you apply for your specific position?
I applied to become president because I truly do want to help! College can be very daunting for many and I hope to help freshmen smoothly transition into college. I also hope to improve things for our current student body by fostering inclusivity and listening to what my fellow students want as well, because it’s their government as much as it is mine.
What are you hoping to accomplish during your time in CGSSGA?
It’s a very ambitious goal but I do hope to have every single student feel comfortable being in college and CGS as a whole by the end of my presidency. I also would like to incorporate CGS into the wider BU community as I feel like it is a little alienated from the rest of the school. I hope to get rid of the stigma that surrounds CGS and its students because we’re great and underrated!
What’s the most valuable thing you have learned during your time in CGS so far?
The CGS bubble is real. Try and branch out to people from other programs and schools in the Boston area! Also, surround yourself with people who will motivate you to be a better person! You are a reflection of who you spend your time with.
Vanya Valenzuela Ybarra, Vice President
Why did you apply for your specific position?
I became VP to contribute positively in a more impactful manner to the incoming CGS first-year students.
What are you hoping to accomplish during your time in CGSSGA?
During my time at CGSSGA, I hope to become a mentor to first-year students and make the transition from the gap semester less intimidating.
Hunter Harris, Treasurer
Why did you apply for your specific position?
What are you hoping to accomplish during your time in CGSSGA?
What’s the most valuable thing you have learned during your time in CGS so far?
Mikalah Merizalde, Secretary
Why did you apply for your specific position?
I applied for the Secretary position because student government has always been something I have been passionate about. I discovered my love for it in seventh grade, when I first participated in student government. Since then, every school year I have been elected. I have always loved planning and organizing events that students will enjoy. I am excited to be able to continue doing this at a larger scale with CGS. In addition, I am also looking forward to working with the other officers and listening to CGS students’ questions and concerns.
What are you hoping to accomplish during your time in CGSSGA?
Within my time in CGSSGA, I hope to be able to be someone that my CGS classmates can come to with any questions, comments, and concerns. It is my duty to be able to work for and what students want. I am one of the representatives for the CGS student body, and it is up to me to advocate for them all. In tandem with the rest of the CGSSGA and administration, I will strive to make this an excellent school year for everyone!
What’s the most valuable thing you have learned during your time in CGS so far?
The most valuable thing I’ve learned thus far at CGS is the importance of a tight knit community. Everyone at CGS is a team, and we all work together to uplift each other.
Sean Sutton, Senator
Why did you apply for your specific position?
As a CGS student, the two core benefits of accepting the program are the gap semester and the trip to London. Although the trip to London is well planned, consists of educational trips around the area, and allows for new experiences outside of class, the gap semester before entering does not boast the same level of forethought. While it is true that students do have a semester to use however they wish, many are recommended by their advisors to focus on one of two things; classes or internships. While there are websites BU advisors can use to discuss which courses transfer, and thereby recommend which classes a student should attend during the gap based on their semester, there is no such guidance for internships. Students are expected to find any opportunities by themselves in their local areas, many of which prefer students to be attending undergraduate students, which students who are in the gap semester cannot claim to be. I, in becoming senator representing CGS, hope to gain greater access for CGS students to have an available platform for internship programs fitted for interests they might have. This will allow students to fill in resumes or gain a greater understanding in majors they have an interest in before they leave the CGS program. I hope to with this vision increase the value students feel they gained from the program and make heartfelt memories during their time at BU.
What are you hoping to accomplish during your time in CGSSGA?
My immediate goal is to improve the accessibility of internship opportunities for incoming CGS students during their gap semester. I believe this can be done through connecting students more promptly to advisors and considering them proper college students so that they can participate in internships or research groups that require at minimum they be attending college. Long term, I would like CGS Student Government as well as all Boston University Student Governments to feel more approachable for students, so that CGS Students feel like they can be involved in how their experience at BU could be.
What’s the most valuable thing you have learned during your time in CGS so far?
The most important thing CGS has taught me is how to access resources. CGS, and the Boston University campus as a whole, has a large amount of facilities, personnel, clubs, and individuals all with their own expertise and interests. Starting from the spring, many of such resources were available, but I had no idea at the time exactly what was possible or what questions I should even ask to figure that out. However, through exploring buildings, going to office hours, attending events, and joining organizations like the SGA, I was able to better understand not only ways to be a successful student, but feel a part of the BU community.
Tania Torres, Senator
Why did you apply for your specific position?
Learning about the Senate introduced me to the various ways they are involved with making the at-large BU community a better place. I have always been involved with activism and social change movements, especially because I come from a underprivileged community. I am incredibly passionate about this line of work. I saw the Senate as a great platform to continue these advocacy efforts away from home, as they provide meaningful avenues of involvement to make significant impacts.
What are you hoping to accomplish during your time in CGSSGA?
During my time at CGSSGA, I hope to give more exposure to the college and help students feel proud about our community; students should feel like they belong here and with us. I want to help create an environment that is welcoming to incoming students during a difficult transition while also providing support to our sophomores.
What’s the most valuable thing you have learned during your time in CGS so far?
The most valuable thing I have learned during my time at CGS is the power of interconnected learning. While our three CGS classes all delve into different topics, I found it incredibly valuable how they were all set within the same time periods and could often be placed in conversation with one another. I constantly found myself making connections from class to class and I always feel such a joyous feeling after because it truly felt like I was learning as often we are exploring different areas in each class. This way of learning also pushed me to converse and connect a lot with my professors and hopefully poke around their wonderful brains to see where they situate what we are learning about in broader contexts.
Guy Starr, Senator
Why did you apply for your specific position?
I ran to be a CGS Senator because I wanted to get involved in student government for our college in order to represent the true desires of the student body. I believe that by really speaking to our students I’ll be able to create legislation that will improve all of our experiences.
What are you hoping to accomplish during your time in CGSSA?
My biggest goal during my time as a Senator is to create a better relationship between CGS and the other colleges so that when CGS students enter in the spring they will have an easier time adjusting to campus and meeting people.
What’s the most valuable thing you have learned during your time in CGS so far?
I’ve learned how to incorporate lessons I learned in one class to be successful in another class.