Bijoux Doherty for President

In this brief statement I will convey the reasons why I want to be President of the Undergraduate Student Senate and why I am the best candidate.

I decided to run for president because I am confident that I can serve the position exceptionally. During my time at Pacific I have held many leadership positions which have given me experiences that I believe will help me succeed in the role as president.

These include, but are not limited to:  Administrative Assistant for the Student Senate Executives, president of a student organization, and two years as Vice President of Finance. With these experiences I have gained an unparalleled familiarity with Student Senate.

I believe that I can improve its current functions to reach all members of the Pacific community. My main mission as president is to ensure that student ideas are heard and implemented. One of the most important roles of president is to be a liaison between administration and student voices.

I will strive to inform students of the direction of the University and encourage students to use Student Senate as a resource.

I believe that with your support I can successfully fulfill the role as president in order to better the experience of all undergraduate students at Pacific.

Mallory Hiefield for President

Running as a Presidential Candidate entails a big responsibility on whomever may receive the position in the Undergraduate Student Senate.

However, I am prepared to take on tasks and want the best for Pacific students and our community.

I am hard working, flexible and passionate about the future of our students.

To begin with, I have already accounted for the time commitment and am prepared to put in my greatest effort to making sure USS runs smoothly.

This past year I knew I would not have enough time so I chose not to run, but this upcoming year I am ready to give it my all!

My leadership expertise covers a wide range of areas.

I have been a Captain of the Cross Country team both here at Pacific and during high school.

I organized social events, communicated between runners and the coaching staff, and motivated teammates.

Working as a camp counselor also entailed facilitating others through challenging activities to create a close-knit community.

This past year I have been an Off-Campus Student representative and have attended meetings to stay up to speed with USS and I feel competent and comfortable taking on the role of student body President.

Furthermore, I believe I am an ideal representative of Pacific University.

I love our campus, love interacting with others, and fully value the missions of our University.

My positive attitude and outgoing personality will fuel the flame to inspire and help others at Pacific. GO BOXERS!

Michael Ashley for VP of Finance

My ideas, attitudes and experiences make me highly qualified for a position in the Student Senate.

I am ambitious, consistent and honest. I also have great work ethic, great communication skills, great time management and a deep passion for helping people.

I am involved in a numerous amount of different clubs and activities on campus, including the Varsity Football team, the Black Student Union, the Economics and Finance club, College Democrats and the Berglund Center Inspired Ideas Competition.

I have also been on the Dean’s List for three years in a row.

I have taken steps to try to empower the Pacific University community. An example of this would be the fact that a few members of the Black Student Union and I came up with the idea of having a first official conference at Pacific that is focused on self-love and self-empowerment.

We took action and initiative and now we are officially having the conference April 22.

In terms of VP of Finance, I am a great fit for this specific position because I am a finance major and I have done numerous assignments involved in finance and accounting.

I understand the importance of allocating money to student activities and developments.

My attitudes, ideas and experiences will allow me to succeed in overseeing the different budgets, helping come up with ideas for student activities/developments, and all of the other responsibilities that come with VP of Finance.

I plan to handle these responsibilities with great care and high efficiency.

Andie Harrison for VP of Finance

To begin with, let me describe how my personality and attitude qualify me for Undergraduate Student Senate.

I am a committed hard-worker and have always prioritized the needs of others before my own.

I’m quick to volunteer to help, and am already consistently helping at Student Senate events on my own time.

I’m a social butterfly, and I get along well when working in teams.

I’m also able to quickly analyze situations and I’m not afraid to speak up and give my advice on the state of affairs.

My experience qualifications for the VP of Finance position are numerous as well.

I’m already the treasurer for a club on campus so I’m familiar with each of the forms the VP of Finance handles. As a business major, I have more than the required Excel experience.

I was elected ASB Treasurer two years back-to-back in high school, and my two years of experience with the Center for Gender Equity have exposed me to the process of staff meetings including taking minutes as Office Manager.

These qualifications, along with my strong knack for leading and personal concern for the condition of Pacific make me an easy vote for Vice President of Finance for the Undergraduate Student Senate.

Lorraine Basch for VP of Leadership

In my three years here at Pacific, I have had the privilege of finding my place on campus. By this, I mean finding my home.

The ambience that the history and the other students have helped to create is one that I would be honored to represent through running for the Vice President of Leadership.

Around campus, I pride myself on being a welcoming and personable student.

As a Politics and Government major, I have worked with many of the clubs in the subject, including the College Democrats Club.

For the past two years I have been the President of the German Club, where I helped plan events that help benefit the students of the language, as well as provide a fun and exciting experience.

I am also part of the Rugby Club that benefits entirely from Student Senate. From these, I have learned what it is that clubs need to be successful.

In the future, I plan to go to law school and become a tribal lawyer.

In order to accomplish this, I have needed to keep an honorable grade point average, as well as apply myself in multiple internships, all of which help to illustrate my competence for this position.

My involvement on campus is important to me because of what the leaders of the community have already helped to create.

The Pacific University atmosphere is one that I have grown to love and admire, one that I am hoping to contribute to, through joining Student Senate.

Katie Lightcap for VP of Communications

I am very excited to have the opportunity to run for Vice President of Communications.

As the end of my sophomore year approaches, I realize more and more that I have a desire to work with the student body. Seeing as the Student Senate poses as the bridge between students and administration, this is the perfect opportunity to get involved and truly make changes here at Pacific.

I have enjoyed being a part of many organizations, and have seen a wide variety of demographics here on campus that have given me a greater understanding of what makes Pacific a strong and diverse community. I am involved in National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Unified Sports and the Outdoor Pursuits program on campus.

I have been working for the Undergraduate Student Senate as Administrative Assistant for the 2015-2016 academic year, and through that have been exposed to the functions and duties of the senate.

I worked closely with the executive team on many events, including open forums, collaboration with other clubs and organizations, CORE meetings and the Spring Club Fair paired with the BoxerMobile app launch.

I have seen the efforts and attitudes that are crucial components to a successful team, and am confident that I will bring my best to the table.

I believe that my positive demeanor and work ethic, alongside my experience with the senate thus far, make me a strong candidate for this position.

Sierra Barnes for VP of Campus Betterment

My name is Sierra Barnes, and I would be honored to represent you in the position of Vice President of Campus Betterment.

I’m a sophomore majoring in philosophy and psychology. In the two years I have been part of the Pacific community, I’ve been involved in several activities and worked with fantastic people, including Delta Chi Delta (for which I am treasurer), the Orientation Ambassadors (where I served as a leader), and the FYS program (where I mentored).

I’m also currently serving my third semester as a civic engagement mentor, and in January I participated in the social justice retreat.

In my work in civic engagement, I’ve had the privilege to work with a number of dedicated students, staff, and faculty.

These experiences helped me develop networking, listening and team-building skills, allowing me to connect with students, and understand and address their concerns.

As a representative of Pacific students, my goal would be to enable and empower students to make change.

Allowing people to feel comfortable expressing their needs is important to effecting change.

For example, many students in my experience feel that FYS should incorporate life and college-skills development into its curriculum. This may include personal finance help, decrypting the course catalog and resume-building skills.

FYS improvements have been discussed a lot recently and I would hope to further that conversation.

I am thrilled at the possibility of working with all of the great people at Pacific. I appreciate your time and consideration in reading this personal statement.

Pablo Valenzuela for VP of Campus Betterment

Over the last three years, I have been blessed to learn and grow alongside so many incredible, and gifted people.

Right now, students are already advocating for a meal-sharing program so that we can begin to address food-insecurity on campus, a multicultural center to help students transcend cultural barriers and explore questions of identity, and have already had success convincing the school to compost waste from residence halls.

I am running for VP of Campus Betterment because I will be a tireless advocate for students who want to accomplish these goals and many others.

I have served in a variety of important and relevant leadership roles.

From my time at Portland Community College (Rock Creek campus) where I was selected as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the student council in 2012, through summers spent doing internships with campaigns, and to my appointment this year by the Washington County Board of Commissioners to a committee charged with rethinking a county-wide civic participation program, I have learned a great deal.

But the most important lesson I have drawn from all of my experience is that everybody has power. Everybody can make a difference. And the status quo is always upheld until people realize that potential.

I humbly ask all members of the Pacific student body for your support, but more importantly I ask that you participate in our student elections.

This is a chance for you to voice your ideas and concerns, and to elect leaders who will address them.