Ana-Maria Dorobat

Presidential Candidate

Who are you?
     I was never good at talking about myself. It makes me feel like the author rather than the actual character of my life. The only thing I can say about myself is that I always live the life that I have strived for (no matter what it takes) and I have always challenged myself to think big.
     I was born in Romania and I lived there the first 19 years of my life. It might sound unusual given the “I am from all around the world” answer that we usually hear at AUP, right? Eastern European people tend to be more firm in their roots, more faithful and more emotionally attached to their countries. I think I inherited this steadiness - my behavior, values and beliefs have always been consistent and aligned. I detest settling or doing things halfway as I think in both circumstances we lose pieces of ourselves. Looking back through my life, I realize that I am carrying with me an immense feeling of gratitude: to my mother-for being my rock, to my teachers-for being my providers, to my friends-for being my heroes.
     I am no more and no less than what people see when they come to the SGA office. A doer. I am someone who has never found the patience to wait for the traffic light to turn green to cross the street, but has an unwavering patience to turn dreams into goals and goals into reality. I am the care I give, the work I have done, the promises I’ll make. I am a Junior at AUP, double majoring in International and Comparative Politics and International Economics.
     I am Ana-Maria Dorobã? …and I am running for President.

Why are you qualified? Why are you interested?
     I remember that two years ago at my Orientation I was surprised by the superlative terms in which everyone was praising AUP. I was told that AUP is a place where I will be totally transformed, a place where I can make it, if I try. At the beginning, I tried to get involved because I wanted to test the validity of their sayings. Now I understand that what AUP did was to introduce me to leadership.
    For the past two years, I gave all of me. I have been working on campus for 20 hours every week at the Faculty Secretary, CompLit Department and Film Studies Department. I organized public lectures, conferences and the Faculty Senate twice per semester. I have been a student advisor three times.  Last year I was elected Communications Director in the SGA and it ended up being the most challenging and innovative year of my life. I have been working hard to transform the newly installed screens into the most popular tool of promotion on campus. I closely collaborated with Student Affairs to centralize the information, to reduce the flood of random emails, to organize the mass of posters, to inform and get people’s attention, to encourage each and every student to learn…by doing. I know I am not going to stop here. Serving students and fostering involvement is a duty that I give to myself also for the next year.
     I am running for president because I know and I can lead the way! I am running for the people who saw in me a promise. During the past year, I have seen many promises made and lost on the way. I have seen people struggling for power, wasting potential and time, people that simply don’t understand that SGA is all about collective leadership. I believe in an SGA constantly in tune with the students, in an SGA as expected by students and not as demanded by administration. I challenge SGA to embody students’ ideals as I know that the way of AUP is led by us. However, I also believe in an SGA as a mediator, a moderator, a source of feedback for administration.  It is my firm belief that the SGA President has to be someone who had taken the pulse of the SGA so that she/he could set up the rhythm of progress for the future.

What will you do if elected?
>Despite the manifold conflicts that we had this year, I do count on the administration’s willingness to acknowledge SGA not only as a factor of decision, but also as a wake-up call, a reality check of what students really want from their university. I will never accept and embrace the decision made by the administration concerning World’s Fair but I think there is still room for negotiation.
>Sit down and start planning. We need to bring to fruition the text messaging system, the textbook rental service and the electronic books alternative-that have been promised to students;  
> Give more recognition for the hours of community and campus service, for the creative after-school activities through awarding certificates and monthly scholarships; finally, we need to find a way to give credit to the people who are on the Dean’s list. C’est tout à leur merite!
>Work with the future GSC President to find a formula of governance that will equally serve both undergraduate and graduate level and also set up a committee that would assist students’ needs in terms of graduate school research, requirements and GRE/GMAT test preparation;
>More budgetary support for cultural and social events through the Application for Assistance Program that we created this year
>Scholarship Funds- I would personally encourage all SGA people to be student callers and to ask for donations.
>I have tons of plans…and a space limit! :)  I’ll see you all at Speech Night!

It will not be easy, but all these are totally feasible. It takes courage and persistence.

 But there is nothing in the world I would rather do. ..and that must mean something!

Sam Yehya

Presidential Candidate

My name is Sam Yehya. I am majoring in International and Comparative Politics and International Economics. I am running for the President of the Student Government Association. The reason that I am running is very simple. Ever since the first day at orientation when you are shuttled through the lines and organized chaos of matriculating to a new city, I have had this insatiable urge to give back to a community that has given so unselfishly to me.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I was born to Lebanese parents in the United States because my family was forced from the country due to my family’s political standing. I know now that this is what I have in common with most AUP students. I have lived all over the world but I don’t think that I would call any one place “home” … until now.
The glue that binds us all together as students at this school, if you have not felt it already, is our international and highly complicated backgrounds. Talking to one AUP student the other day, it took about five minutes to explain where in the world they had lived.
I am not going to list here a detailed list of why I am qualified. I will say that my major positions over the last three years that are pertinent to becoming President are that I was the Freshman Class Representative, the SGA Vice-President, and the International and Comparative Politics Representative. I have also served as a student advisor for every semester since I first came to AUP. Besides these positions, I believe that my personality makes me the best candidate for the job. I am a team player that is exceptionally good at managing a team. I am also a very approachable person. I firmly believe that as a team, which the SGA is above and beyond any specific position, you are only as strong as the weakest link. No one player is more important than another and to make a truly successful year the team must work together as one.
Finally and most importantly, I must tell you all why I am running for President of our Student Body. After talking to many of you out there, in the AUP community, something of grave importance has come to my attention. The SGA needs to be opened up to the student community. Many of you feel that it is an “exclusive club” to quote several AUP students. I want you to know that if elected, that will immediately and forever change.
And lastly I propose that as an entire student body we need to refocus our efforts. We need more people involved. This is the recipe to make our institution not just a good place to receive higher education, but a great place.
In conclusion, through a structured consolidation of resources, people, and ideas we can move this school forward. But the only way this can happen is with YOU!

Jimmy Nahra

Vice-Presidential Candidate

Juliana Yanguas

Vice-Presidential Candidate

I am Juliana Yanguas and I am a candidate to be Vice President of the Student Government Association. This is my second semester in AUP and I have enjoyed every second of it. I am currently Freshmen Representative, and I have taken the role very seriously. This year I have worked with Marc Montheard, Student Affairs, the Cultural Program and various workers here at AUP. I have gotten to know AUP’s system and all of the people who collaborate everyday to assist students with issues. As Freshmen Representative, I hosted and organized, with the help of Student Affairs and fellow freshmen, the Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a complete success as a representation of our AUP community coming together. It was my first step in learning about this community, its people and the student body as a whole. After that event, I planned a Freshmen Trip to Mont Saint Michel with great help of Marc Montheard, Jennifer Larsen and Kevin Fore. The trip itself was a fun activity that brought together my Class of 2013. It took a great amount of work and dedication that I was more than happy to do. The responsibility of working hard with others that have the same passion and dedication to create a contribution to our AUP community is absolutely the task for me.
It also takes the same passion to simply be a regular student at AUP. Apart from the senate experience I have gained throughout these two semesters, I am also currently a member of the Psych Club and Stage Manager for the play “On the Beach.” Meaning, I know how to be a member of a group, but also take control of a situation. I feel as though I am a valuable asset to these organizations because I am punctual, responsible, dependable, and easy to work with. I have been taught through these experiences how to work under pressure and get the job done right. More importantly, I have reached out to the AUP community, especially my fellow freshmen, so that I can represent them to my highest ability. I am personable as well as open to new ideas and suggestions. I intend on using all of these traits and experiences to my utmost ability so that I can represent AUP as a whole, and contribute to the continuation of the binding of our very special community.

I want to be Vice President of the Student Government Association because it has always been my passion to help others. I feel as though representing the student body would be the highest privilege, one that only the community can grant me.

Tala Alem

Communications Director Candidate

In the White House, a director of communications is the senior aide to the President of the United States. In the business world a communications director would manage internal communications in a company. In Media, the communications manager strengthens external relations and branches out.
   At AUP, the director of communications is the person representing the medium between an individual or a group and the community, between an idea and making it happen, between “party” and “event of the year”.
   My name is Tala Alem and I would like to be that person. I am a sophomore in my second semester at AUP, majoring in Global Communication with a minor in Psychology.
   I’m from Saudi Arabia, adding to the diverse community here. And as director of communication I will use what I’ve learned about the needs, emotions, goals and memories that people share in this community, and wrap it nicely to bring these people together.
   As a communications major, this post will show me the possibilities that lay ahead in my future. It will give me a chance to explore the topics I’ve been learning about in the classroom and provide me with the experience to apply it in different aspects of my life.
   Being a part of the SGA will definitely add value to my stay at AUP. And having better relations with members of the student body, the faculty and the administration is something that I look forward to.
   It will be my responsibility to keep students up to date, and have the information be as accessible as possible. Advocating involvement and helping to organize events will be part of my job description and I believe I can meet the expectations.
   As director of communications I will enlarge fonts, brighten colors and turn up the music.

Susanne Spahn

Communications Director Candidate

Dear AUP students,

My name is Susanne Spahn and I would love to be your next SGA Communications Director!
You may ask: Why?
Because I am confident I can get you the information you need to make your upcoming semesters at AUP as rewarding and fun as they can be.
My background qualifies me for this position in several ways. I am a communications student with a dedicated and hardworking attitude and a spirit for team work. I believe that my ability to work collaboratively with people and take a leadership role is essential for the position as Communications Director. 
I have been involved at AUP from the very beginning of my first semester. My leadership positions as AUP Student Ambassadors Vice President and sophomore class representative have given me experiences and skills valuable for the position as Communications Director.
I have seen through my own involvement that many interesting and fun events are not being passed onto students in an effective or timely manner and even though progress has been made it is my objective to further improve the overall communication at AUP if I am elected.

I hope you take the opportunity to cast your vote for the new
Student Government Association 2010 - 2011

Julien Selleier

Social Director Candidate

My name is Julien Sellier and I am running for Social Director. I am French
and grew up right here in Paris. I am a junior at AUP and majoring in
Finance.

I feel that I am very qualified for this position. I have been at AUP for
almost three years now, and have developed a great sense of what we want
from our school. We need to balance parties with cultural events. I have
been planning social functions since I was 14 years old. I have many
contacts in Paris universities, bars, and nightclubs. French is my mother
tongue so it will not be a problem to communicate with event planners and
administrators.

I realize that AUP is in a time of change, and I will be dedicated to
planning a multitude of cultural events. I would like to take advantage of
our unique diversity here at AUP. Above all I would like to bring AUP into
the French university community. We are already involved in a French
University Sports League, and now it is time to bring AUP students into the
French university student community. I would like to see more AUP students
getting out into the French community. I will be dedicated to you, and make
next year the best year of your college career!

Sincerely,

Julien Sellier

Marc Jabre

Treasurer Candidate

Accounting is a skill in life that is normally underrated. Unfortunately, it is one of the most useful skills in our modern society. People seem to forget the fact that accounting is the medium through which we allocate all our money. Living on my own here in Paris has really opened my eyes to this forgotten concept. Organized budgeting, thorough record keeping and effective spending have all become a part of my life, and to my content have improved my standard of living—especially in a city like Paris. Over my time here I’ve really grown to value this skill, and after having taken both Financial and Managerial Accounting, I’m putting emphasis on not losing what I’ve learned like we all do with many of our classes. It’s this valuable practice; real world, yet still relatively contained, that interests me in the position.

That being said let me introduce myself; my name is Marc Jabre, I will be a junior in Fall 2010 and I’ve been qualified to do this for a while now. Ever since I was young I’ve wanted to open my own business one day, and so ever since I was young I’ve done my best to learn how, and that meant that I learned a lot of accounting. It started with me doing my dad’s taxes, then I took a course at Boston University and then I did the financials for a business I created as part of a contest. Recently I prepared the budget for AUP’s sports trip to Beirut for Marc Monthéard and I regularly prepare budgets for the AUP Entrepreneurs Club, a club I created this semester along with two friends of mine. All of this experience coupled with courses BA 201 and BA 202 has given me sound accounting skills.

This is something that I would like AUP to benefit from. If elected, I hope to streamline the SGA’s accounting department by simplifying it. I will do my best to effectively and efficiently manage our budget to better serve the student population. Going along with the SGA’s recent efforts to work more closely with our student body, I hope to use my post as treasurer to ensure that we realize our full potential.

Meg Gagnard

I.T. Director Candidate

Let me introduce myself! I’m Meg Gagnard. I am currently a second year student at AUP pursuing a major in Global Communications. I enjoy simple things such as taking pictures, listening to musical soundtracks, going to the photo booth, and the use of the font Helvetica.

As the current IT Director of the SGA, I am interested in running to be elected for the same position in the coming academic year at AUP. With my interest in graphic art and communications, I feel that the IT Director position is the perfect opportunity to continue putting my skills to good use that I have acquired from the position in the past year. Because I am a Global Communications major, I thrive to achieve in creating a clear and thorough connection between the administration with campus wide events and the student body through the SGA website and the SGN. I believe that these skills and experiences make me an ideal candidate for the position in question.

If re-elected, I plan to team up with members of the IT department to work on a new database for the voting system. In addition to this, I would like to clean out the server to allow more space for expansion of current and new information. One of my biggest plans would be to create a template for the SGA Website so that it remains constant in regards to its design to save time for each new incoming SGA IT Director as well as maintaining its own identity. And lastly, to be sure that there are always paper and ink in the printers in the student lounge of the Bosquet building, to be able to print off all of those last minute papers.

Let me help you be constantly aware of what is happening at AUP and facilitate the communication of events on campus!

Robert Olechna

GSC Presidential Candidate

Politics and governance have always been my passions.  A friend’s father deemed me, “a mover and a shaker,” and I suppose my passions have reason to do with this.  Observing how people interact in and move around the institutions we have built—corrupt and clean—I have been amazed; therefore, I studied history, German, and philosophy during my undergraduate career to better understand who we are, where we descend from, and, maybe, why we do what we do.  My name is Robert Mark Olechna; I am a master’s student and a cosmopolitan citizen.

Since the 7th grade, I have participated in student government.  I was the homeroom representative until graduation in 12th grade when I unsuccessfully ran for class president.  The entire experience was well worth it, and my loss humbled me in the ways of politics.  During my undergraduate years, I was elected student senator for one year where we worked closely with the administration of the University of Scranton.  I was responsible for reporting on the activity of the Enrollment Management Committee of the Board of Trustees for the president of the student senate.  I also worked directly for the President of the University, Rev. Scott R. Pilarz S.J.  The culmination of my political career came after graduation when I interned for the mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania where I assisted in running his office for three months; subsequently, I met contacts in connection to the congressional representative of District 11 of Pennsylvania.  It was the height of the 2008 election in the United States and I was asked to be the adjunct to the campaign director of said congressional representative, assisting him in implementing a voter canvassing operation throughout five counties.

As a student representative, one is limited by the powers they actually have.  To me, the most important role of a student representative is as a liaison between students and administration.  When I ran for class president I stressed this belief; the previous class president had damaged relations with the administration, and the consequences—despite the arbitrariness of high school politics—were noticeable: we could have enjoyed a few early dismissal days in Spring, but, alas.  This tiny tale merely highlights the importance I stress over cooperative relations with any administration.  Another key issue is awareness.  The role of student government is successful when students are aware of career opportunities, events, and adventures available to them.  These are my goals.

Hussain Alfili

Senior Speaker Candidate

My name is Hussain ALFILI I am a senior student in the American University
of Paris, majoring in International Comparative Politics and minoring in
International Business Administration being a Kuwaiti born in France raised
in an International environment I immediately knew this university was made
for me. Last year I decided to get involved in the AUP community. In
September you elected me as your representative in the senate. I am also
involved in the Alumni affairs, I organized a study trip in my home country
Kuwait with 27 students, and now I am organizing our graduation gala.

Today I am candidate to be your Senior Speaker at our graduation, I will
reflect AUP's diversity and spirit in my speech, the speech will be a
perfect representation of what we have done together and the actions we
still need to do. Try to create continuity with the 4 years we spent
together.

Meghan Jennings

Senior Speaker Candidate

My name is Meghan Jennings, I’ve been at AUP since August 2006, am your SGA President and my primary major is International Business Administration.

My entire time at AUP, I’ve been asked to give speeches or write letters that address a specific issue. I’ve written speeches to be elected, to be chosen, to be considered, to be derisive, to be divisive, to alienate, and sometimes to congratulate. This opportunity is a chance to finally give a speech that celebrates.

 Over the years, I’ve sometimes lost faith in my University, its bureaucracy and red tape, its constantly shifting and changing directions. I’ve gotten upset with professors who haven’t done enough, administrators who have done too much, and sometimes students who don’t care. Sometimes my faith has grown by seeing how well some of our risks have paid off.
Through it all, however, I’ve never been anything but proud of my class. We were kids when Pluto was a planet and we will be adults for everything else. We have seen an absolute metamorphosis of this institution and though we may not always be able to celebrate its choices, we can forever celebrate each other because each of us will go out into a world where the first thing to define us will be three simple letters: AUP.

In truth, I may not always come back for alumni weekends or be available for meet-ups in city capitals but I will never forget the people who threw their arms around me at World’s Fair, whose fresh faces I can barely remember from Orientation but those who I’ll never forget from First Bridge, the people who populate corner cafes and make them unspoken regular spots, whose library books where the same ones I needed but would never get because we’d always be in the same classes, same periods, same majors. We’ve met up in distant countries, in local pubs, and possibly grazed elbows or got dirty at the same clubs.
I feel an absolute bond to my class, to the people who can understand me better than anyone else on Earth because though they may not have walked in my shoes, they walked the same path. And, I’m ready to give a speech that is a reflection of how much I’ve learned from the four years, hundreds of people, thousands of hours that make up The American University of Paris.
Being President, I’m only allowed to give a few minutes of kind words for the recipients of awards we will give out. I don’t get to finally articulate the last few years. I don’t get to give a speech. I would gladly have someone else from the SGA do this bit piece if it meant I could finally give the speech I want to give as opposed to have to.

Vote for me, I’ve never let you down before.

Diana Navarro

Senior Speaker Candidate

I am interested in writing this speech because I have heard many in the past that have not met my expectations. I have not written a speech yet, since after all I don’t know if I will be picked to write the speech, but I will like to write something that integrates everyone in AUP. Many speeches in the past leave students from certain nationalities left out. And I think id be amazing to put together a speech that everyone can relate to.
My name is Diana Amelia Navarro, I am Colombian, double majoring in international business and global communications. I have been in AUP since 2007. I am part of the student government of this current year, and as part of it I would also like to express the changes and amazing things we have accomplished throughout this academic year and who has helped us accomplished them. I believe that any times students don’t realize and take into account our hard work, and id be nice to mention the people who have made it happen.

         If elected, I will talk to people from different nationalities, not only the people that I know and see everyday, because these are the people I most think alike. I would like to form a speech that everyone can relate to, as well as a happy, encouraging speech for the future endeavors that graduating students are about to take.

Thanks,

Diana Amelia Navarro

Nick Boyd

Senior Speaker Candidate

My name is Nick B. and I will be graduating this semester with a major in Comparative Literature and a concentration in Philosophy. For four years I have walked the walk from Grenelle to Bosquet, from Bosquet to Combes and all of the pit stops in between. I’ve felt the energy at open mic nights when strangers come together to illuminate the stage, silencing a full crowd at the Amex. I’ve been backstage at musicals exchanging nervous and excited laughs with fellow actors before the curtain was raised. If elected as your senior speaker, I will capture some of these specific moments of our time together—tight, concise and rich with detail like the notes on the back of a postcard.

I applaud all of the candidates and eagerly await their reflections on what this university has given them.

Love,

Nick

Eric Snow

Senior Speaker Candidate

There are a thousand reasons why I want to speak for the senior class. There are even more reasons why I feel I could describe our specific AUP collective experience. Though daunting and difficult, I am completely capable of enumerating our commonalities. I have, however, a space constraint and an allergy to long promises, so I will be brief: Let me speak at the graduation ceremony. Let me show our parents, professors and peers just how far we've come and of how much we're capable. I hope all of you come out to vote, and I hope to see you at the speech.

Sincerely, Eric William Snow