As the Spring Semester comes to a close, NYU Shanghai has been moving into a time of transitions, the biggest of which being the introduction of a new Student Government. Last Friday, the third Student Government was inaugurated at this year’s Dumpling Festival. After weeks of voting, incentivized with Starbucks gift card prizes, the winners were announced as follows:

President

Michelle Huang (黄泰候)

Director of Internal Affairs

Li Shan (Cheryl/李姗)

Director of External Affairs

Ma Teng (Martin)

Global Director

Sevi Reyes (李富士)

Director of Student Life & Residence (SLR)

Dylan Crow (天磊)

Director of Student Organizations

Puja Chandramohan (蔡嘉)

Director of Student Events

Song Jiaqi (Claire)

Senator of the Student Senator Council

Alexander Mayes (馬誠勇) The eight members of Student Government will work together to represent the NYU Shanghai community and add to the work that has already been done by the sophomore class. A school of diversity, Student Government acts as a representation of students needs collectively. However, with this year’s student government, while the ratio of international to Chinese is one to one, there is arguably a lack of of non-American international representation. While this is a contrast to the lack of international representation on last year’s Student Government, diversity is an issue that will always be prevalent in the NYU Shanghai community. Michelle Huang was voted in as this year’s Student Body President, and will follow Roxanne Roman’s footsteps. In terms of the election and the new Student Government, Roxanne gave her best wishes. “The conclusion of the Student Government elections marks the first "passing of the torch" from the Class of 2017 to 2018. The new Student Government's challenge will be building bridges across the transition gap and the global network, but I have the utmost confidence in this team to be innovative and successful in their solutions. The Student Government elect has shown their dedication and drive to serve the student body and so I wish them congratulations and good luck for a promising year ahead.” Michelle is eager to fulfil her role as Student Body President and is already planning future initiatives. “Right now, I am compiling a list of all the goals I hope for Student Government to achieve next year, and which director(s) will need to be in charge of meeting each goal. I am also figuring out how to create a Buy/Trade/Sell Website/page where students can trade internally. This will become crucial when we begin the 'move out' period. Other than that, I just really hope I can deliver what I have promised and shall continue to push myself and the rest of the Student Body until I have.” “In regards to the election, all I can say is that I feel very blessed, incredibly blessed, to have so many amazing friends and classmates around me. I still cannot believe it. I am honestly so grateful for everyone's support and trust. I am also thankful for Wesley, someone who is just as qualified, who I will continue to work alongside next year.” Each position is held by an NYU Shanghai freshman currently studying onsite, except for the Senator of the Student Senator Council. As Senator, Alex Mayes will sit on the Student Senator Council in New York and represent NYU Shanghai among the larger NYU community. “I’m so proud to have been elected Senator of the SSC – it is sincerely an honor to represent and lobby for NYU Shanghai’s interests in New York. During the weeks and months ahead, I hope to hear ideas and proposals from the NYU Shanghai student body. If you have an interest that I can represent in New York, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Though in my capacity as Senator I will only contribute one vote in the university senate, it is not the vote that matters – it’s the voice. As Senator, I promise I’ll do everything in my capacity to represent the interests of NYU Shanghai students.” Puja Chandramohan, a member of the Clubs Committee for the past year, was honored to become Director of Student Organizations. As Puja acknowledged, the elections were a chance for freshmen to continue what they had been working on for the past year and move into positions of leadership. “I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to continue working as a member of the Student Organizations committee. With culture being one of my many passions, it is my goal as Director of Student Organizations to help develop and enrich the global network that NYU proudly claims. As of now, the transition process has begun with the incumbent leaders slowly handing over the ropes to the newly elected officials. I find it very exciting as I see these elections as an opportunity for freshmen to step up to the plate and serve as catalysts to shape the NYUSH community. With these elections, the sophomores are basically handing us the responsibility to protect the university and its legacy.” For those who unfortunately lost out in this election, there will still be opportunities for involvement - through various committees, clubs and direct communication. For Annie Seaman, who ran for Director of Student Events, the results were still extremely positive. “I am so happy for Claire and congratulate her for winning the election; I know she will do an amazing job and will work hard next year to create memorable events for the community. I intended to help her and continue to be involved in the events committee and for that, I am so excited.” On Century Avenue would like to thank the previous student government for their hard work and consistent effort. We congratulate the new student government and wish them the best of luck for their upcoming term. This article was written by Isabella Farr. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Ng Meizhi