Student Government is turning its vacancy luck around with 13 new general body representatives for the 2025-26 year.
“They are all very good people,” Student Government President Alex Brown ‘26 said. “They all had something that they were passionate about in their application.”
According to Brown, Student Government received around 24 applications this cycle, the majority of which came from the class of 2028. The application process began at the end of the fall semester and included an online application and a round of interviews.
Meet the new representatives below.
2026 Representatives:
Dorothy Fort
As a new Student Government member and an upperclassman, Fort wants to bring new ideas and perspectives to the table.
“I have had firsthand experiences with some disconnect between the student body and necessary entities of our campus,” she wrote in an email about her interest in becoming involved with the committee on student life.
Fort is both a Government and Law and a rare classics major.
“I hope to provide helpful insight and perspectives on decisions that we make as a general body, and facilitate meaningful discussions with my respective committee,” she wrote.
Charlie Kinsella
Kinsella said she was motivated to run based on her high school government experience and her friendship with Brown.
“I feel like people don’t know about the government at all,” she said. “I feel like if more people knew about it, more people would join it who are actually interested in it and are going to stick with it.”
Kinsella also highlighted her founding and leadership of the women’s club basketball team as an inspiration for her interest in Student Government. She expressed a desire to be very involved in how the organization will “handle” student organizations in the future.
2027 Representatives:
Emma Lawrence
Lawrence said she joined Student Government to “make a difference.”
She highlighted wanting to ensure the new class of 2028 is properly adjusted to Lafayette and being heard by the college’s administration. Lawrence is also particularly passionate about animal rights and said she hopes to better advocate for organizations on campus that promote volunteering efforts.
“There are a lot of opportunities for volunteer work, but they’re not well advertised,” Lawrence said. “Students should do that for their good, and not just ‘fun’ clubs.”
She has also already been preparing for the exposure to feedback as a part of Student Government.
“I anticipated a lot of controversy and self-defense,” she said. “I’m still getting used to this.”
Maddie Malone
Malone’s crew team involvement motivated her to take on a new leadership responsibility.
“I wanted to be the change on this campus,” she said. “Specifically, with the lack of communication and overall awareness between the study body and Student Government — I want to be involved in seeing that change.”
Like Lawrence, Malone emphasized her focus on creating a more inclusive environment for Student Government for all students to easily reach college administration.
“I want to be more of a student representative than a student government,” she said.
Zach Mueller
Mueller said that he was encouraged to join Student Government to bring his global perspective to the table.
“People have more say here and I want to push more toward that,” he said, drawing a comparison to his high school in France. “I think my European perspective can shape something.”
Mueller is looking forward to fostering better communication between student organizations and Student Government, like Kinsella.
“We’re going to be quite close,” he said. “I think we are going to try to tackle certain challenges that will be coming forward and that we have to sort of improve morale and understand each other more as peers.”
Charlie Weinstein
Weinstein is returning from a semester at the University of Miami with a newfound appreciation for Lafayette.
“Values are different when you go to different places,” he said. “The institution that we have here cultivates a sense of belonging and also a sense of listening.”
Weinstein highlighted goals such as rewriting the organization’s financial guidelines and addressing retention.
“I chose to come back here because I love it and I missed it, and I want to be committed to it and I want to show other people that,” he said.
2028 Representatives:
Tendai Ankude
Ankude wants to leave the college better than he found it as a Student Government representative.
“I wanted to make a positive impact on the community,” he said “Being a student representative is at the forefront of that.”
He joined the Pard Pantry and student life committee intending to focus on the mental health of the student body through working with Bailey Health Center.
He wants to “build a bit more sense of community and give people more options of things they can do outside of school and outside of college.”
William Bennett
Bennett, who hails from Florida, knew that he wanted to join Lafayette’s Student Government when he joined the campus community.
He said that he will “put in the maximum effort” possible towards his position.
Bennett is looking to fulfill his passions for academics and student life through his committee involvement.
“I’m glad to be surrounded by the community where you have that sense of wanting to make it better,” he said.
Emerson Casper
Casper has first-hand government experience working for the mayor’s board in her hometown and is looking to bring that experience to Student Government.
She was drawn to the community and passion of Student Government from one of their open meetings in the fall semester, she said.
“My main goal was to just get involved with my community and find people I connect with, and I’m really fortunate and glad to be able to do that and for our class,” Casper said.
Annabel Hooey
Hooey thought that Student Government would be a great opportunity to achieve something, continuing her student leadership passion from high school.
“All the other members are lovely and super devoted individuals,” she said, comparing the organization to a “puzzle” of different interests.
Hooey is passionate about accessibility advocacy, having worked with children with disabilities, and plans to work for the Equity and Inclusion committee.
“There’s always room for improvement no matter where we are,” she said about campus accessibility. “I do think that’s an issue that I would love to address.”
Milan Lezzi
Lezzi responded to an initial request for comment but did not respond further.
Natacha Ross
Ross knows that she can bring an “innovative spirit” cultivated from her other leadership experiences to Student Government.
“I’m definitely more of a person who likes to look at how things are operating,” she said.
Ross is interested in expanding the breadth and accessibility of academic services and information for students and touted her time management skills from all of her on-campus involvements.
“We’re hoping that we create a vibe that everyone feels welcome and everyone feels willing to get excited,” she said.
Allie Waxman
“It was just a very welcoming group,” Waxman said of her first impression of Student Government.
Waxman, a policy studies major, said that she and the other new Student Government representatives have a common desire to make Lafayette “stable” and “awesome.”
Waxman is interested in many different Student Government committees, including those on student life and Pard Pantry.
“I’m a big person on community,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons why I chose Lafayette.”
