The incoming Student Government executive board accepted 20 students onto the general body for the 2024 term on Dec. 4.
The 2026 and 2027 delegations are an entirely new set of faces, with one vacancy in 2026. President-elect Thania Hernandez ’25 and vice president-elect Yuko Tanaka ’26 wrote in an email that they “plan to open applications next week and hope to fill the role within the first month back from break.”
All representatives from the class of 2025, save for two, are holdovers from the last term.
The 2025 and 2026 delegations each recieved eight applications; treasurer Areeb Atheeque ’25 and representative Moira Humphrey ’26 opted to step down while the rest of their class year peers either plan to go abroad, joined the executive board or already resigned. The class of 2027 saw 15 applications.
Meet some of the new representatives below.
2027 representatives
Makda Baraki
Baraki was involved with Student Government throughout her high school career. This inspired her to get involved in Lafayette’s student government.
“It’s been my way of being involved in my community,” Baraki said, noting that Student Government gives her a platform to “voice other people’s concerns.”
Baraki hopes to use her voice to help fix dining issues continuing to circulate through campus.
“I had the same issue as well in my high school where students would complain or they weren’t satisfied with the food,” she said. “This reminded me how much I liked being involved and how much I liked being able to provide solutions for students.”
Bryan Kibet
Kibet hopes to use his position to advocate for student concerns.
“[Student Government] offers an opportunity for me to develop my leadership skills,” Kibet said. “It also brings a sense of community for students and faculty, and I just love to advocate for student needs.”
He also wants to help foster a better relationship between Lafayette and the city of Easton, a relationship he feels is not established enough.
“I know they have Bacon Fest where students come down [to visit], but Garlic Fest was during our break and everything,” Kibet said. “I want to have an event to actually interact with each other.”
Lily Nylund
Nylund’s time in Student Government dates back to middle school.
“It was kind of like a natural continuation of something I’d been passionate about in high school,” Nylund said. “While I was doing it within high school, I discovered I have a passion for service and advocacy.”
She specifically hopes to strengthen her communication skills with the college student body, in addition to the administration.
“A main goal of mine is to make sure that representatives of the class of 2027 … are very approachable,” Nylund said. “The student body should feel heard and supported by us.”
Nylund will be joining her sister, Molly Nylund ’25, on the general body.
Dashawn Sheffield
Sheffield applied to Student Government with social justice and diversity in mind. He took inspiration from Fatimata Cham ‘23, a former Student Government vice president and last year’s Pepper Prize winner.
“I’d like to follow in the steps of Cham and promote DEI initiatives such as implementing a comprehensive system for collecting and analyzing data on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Sheffield wrote in an email.
In addition to improvements to DEI on campus, Sheffield also wants to focus on mental health awareness.
“I plan to collaborate with Bailey’s Health Center to ensure increased accessibility, resources, and awareness … as well as focus on the residence halls and communal spaces, like advocating for renovations and improved maintenance,” he wrote.
Grace Vale
Real-world experience as a government and law major is a key part of Vale’s motivation for joining Student Government. Vale hopes to connect with a variety of student organizations, especially those that don’t have the financial means to operate to their fullest potential.
“I reached out to some of my friends who were in the dance club and some other theater [and] acapella [groups],” she said. “They want to be heard more, and they want to have more chances to have more performances and concerts.”
Selina Zhu
Zhu wanted to join Student Government to primarily accommodate students of various backgrounds.
“I just want to make sure that I work for Lafayette to have a community that welcomes individuals with different backgrounds to feel safe,” Zhu said.
Her application to Student Government included ideas of eventually joining the Equity & Inclusion Committee.
“I’m hoping to possibly gather all the DEI members and then meet with all the presidents of all the current diversity clubs,” Zhu said. “I want to do this not only for my culture but for everyone’s different backgrounds.”
Hasnat Aslam, the seventh representative from the 2027 delegation, could not be reached for comment.
2026 representatives
James Reese
One of six new representatives for the class of 2026, a major reason that Reese applied was the ability to focus on budgeting.
“I think something that kind of interests me about Student Government is the budgeting aspect, especially the allocation of money to different clubs as well,” Reese said. “I found that part interesting.”
Reese is also looking forward to serving as a liaison between the student body and the administration.
“I found it interesting being someone who’s in that middle ground between the students and the school and the administration,” he said.
Galina Kraytsberg, Tatia Jahan, Nate Rashkind, Colin Gray and Liz Borah are the other 2026 representatives. They could not be reached for comment.
2025 representatives
Leonora Rodriguez and Olivia Boeckman are the new representatives for the class of 2025. Chelsey Cochrane, Alexandra Darrah, Molly Nylund, Virginia Sacotingo and Kelsey Wong are each returning for another term.
