{"id":318692,"date":"2018-05-09T08:57:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T12:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=318692"},"modified":"2018-05-14T16:55:40","modified_gmt":"2018-05-14T20:55:40","slug":"newly-elected-sa-president-vp-aim-for-unity-among-student-body-318692","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/newly-elected-sa-president-vp-aim-for-unity-among-student-body-318692\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly elected SA president, VP aim for unity among student body"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"photo
Beatriz Gil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s the goal of Beatriz Gil \u201919 and Jamal Holtz \u201920, the Students\u2019 Association president and vice president-elect at the University of Rochester.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what we ran on and what we believe in,\u201d says Gil, an economics and political science dual major from Barcelona, Spain. \u201cWe want to make the student body one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gil and Holtz ran uncontested this spring but met with close to 30 student groups before the election. Both students have been involved in SA government since their first year and have served as senators.<\/p>\n

Gil is believed to be the first international student elected president at Rochester. She and Holtz, who is African American, want to ensure that international and underrepresented minority students feel as engaged in campus life as domestic students of any background.<\/p>\n

\u201cJamal has been very focused on getting minority students engaged, and I\u2019ve been focused on international students,\u201d Gil says. Holtz, a political science major from Washington, D.C., thinks his and Gil\u2019s election sends an important signal. \u201cWith us being elected, I think it gives hope to students in those communities,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Gil\u2019s election left her emotional. She remembers running for Senate as a first-year student and facing the possibility of having to answer questions during a Facebook Live event.<\/p>\n

\"photo
Jamal Holtz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI called my mom crying,\u201d she says. \u201cI was very stressed about speaking in English.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that she\u2019s the president-elect, \u201cI hope it\u2019s inspiring to international students here,\u201d she says. \u201cAny student who comes here can thrive and go far in any leadership position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both students will return home for summer break, but Gil will join Holtz in Washington in June for a conference that brings together student presidents and vice presidents from universities and colleges across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve already hit the ground running,\u201d Holtz says. \u201cOur goal is to meet with all of the (200-plus) student organizations this fall. We can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n