By Diana Leyva
Giselle Jerezano – ASB President
Junior Giselle Jerezano is running for ASB president because she believes there is a lack of satisfaction from the student body towards the events held by SGA.
“It is my goal to get as much data as possible on what students want to see happen for social life on campus. I want to make sure that the money we students are paying in our tuition, goes to the right events or benefits that come from the class councils,” she said.
She has been a part of SGA for two years and is a firm believer that SGA does important work which affects the student body. During the 2021-2022 semester she served as ASB vice president. During that time she was able to provide resources to clubs and structure to the role. As president she would do something similar, she said.
Jerezano realizes that there is a lack of communication on what resources are available to students on campus.
“For example, there is no clear communication on what food items you can get with your meal swipe across the different food locations on campus, or what buildings are open that could be study spots for when the library is closed. For example, Bud Robinson is open on weekends until 10 PM, for students to study or hang out,” she said.
Jerezano believes SGA can help provide this information by creating online manuals and guides which would explain what is available to students and how to do certain procedures. As president, she would make sure that these manuals are easy to find so everyone who seeks information can find them.
Another issue Jerezano wishes to tackle, is the minority student experience. While many clubs and organizations like Walden and First Generation Council have been designed to support minorities on campus, as president, Jerezano wishes to keep providing support and findings ways to make Trevecca an inclusive environment for everyone.
Originally from Honduras, Jerezano is a business administration major with a concentration in management.
Wilson Vrieze – ASB President
If elected president, junior Wilson Vrieze, believes that the position could give him the means to impact the lives of students and improve the relationship between Trevecca’s leadership and the student body.
“I think my experience over the past three years through many different servant leadership opportunities and being emerged in the academic and social culture of Trevecca would set me up to well represent the student body and equip me to lead a team,” he said.
He believes that the presidential platform would allow him to empower individuals far more capable and passionate, in smaller and more focused areas of the Trevecca community to better the lives of students.
“I then would love the chance to provide direction and leadership as we unite and coordinate all the wonderful communities and cultures represented on our campus,” he said.
Vrieze believes a problem that exists within the student body is a lack of an ability to be heard. As president, he would aim to create spaces for all students to not just be heard but help train the student body on how to be heard.
Improved communication and understanding would help Trevecca and its students to function hand in hand and achieve far more than either ever could on his or her own, he said.
As president, Vrieze would promote simplicity and clarity to remove frustration and set groups and individuals up to accomplish great things.
His goal would be to bring a sense of teamwork that goes beyond SGA and unites with other student leadership positions like RA’s, Peer Mentors, PR, club leaders, and others that together could all craft the best Trevecca experience for each and every student.
“Trevecca will excel to the fullest when each and every student feels that he or she is heard and is empowered to chase his or her dreams and passions!” said Vrieze.
Vrieze was born and raised in a family of 8 in Cadillac, Michigan. He is majoring in commercial music with an emphasis on drum set performance and is minoring in recording technology and religious studies.
Jessie Crocker – ASB Director of Social Life
Junior Jessie Crocker has been an RA for the past two years, through that experience she found a love for leadership and event planning. With it, she desires to serve her community through creative and fun events.
“I hope to accomplish a new level of inclusivity and unity in events that allows every student who attends Trevecca a place to have fun, learn and enjoy their college experience to the fullest,” she said.
She realizes that in the past, SGA events have not been inclusive to all the groups represented on the Trevecca campus. As director of social life, she hopes to incorporate new activities that include disabled students and other groups of people who are often overlooked.
One way she would do this is to offer multiple activities at the same event.
“For example, if it is an active event, we would also have something like board games or sit down activities so that everyone can come and have a good time even if they aren’t able to or don’t want to do a more physically challenging event!” said Crocker.
Crocker is from Laredo, Texas, and is majoring in vocal performance.
Carrington Ray – Chaplain
Sophmore Carrington Ray is running for chaplain because she wants to give back and serve the community which has given her so much in the 2 years that she has been at Trevecca.
Ray realizes that many students have the desire to serve and lead however are not given the space to do so. If elected chaplain she wants to be a part of creating space for students to use their gifts and talents to glorify their creator, she said.
“I pray that everyone would feel loved and seen by me. I want those that feel excluded to feel included and a part. I have a desire to make the people that feel lost and forgotten to feel like they are seen, known and loved,” said Ray.
Ray is from Tullahoma, Tennessee, and is majoring in religion with a focus on pastoral ministry and worship ministry.
Grace Santos – Director of Communications and Marketing
If elected as director of communications and marketing, junior Grace Santos wants to communicate events not just organized by SGA, but by other organizations on campus as well.
She would like to help bring other clubs’ ideas and events to life, helping raise awareness of all the events happening at Trevecca. With her experience in the International Student Council, Santos wishes to extend her knowledge and skill to the entire student body and work with them.
“I will also work to be the mediator between students and the rest of the council and faculty,” said Santos.
An issue Santos has observed on campus is the lack of communication within certain areas.
Many times students think there is nothing going on on campus when in reality much preparation is taking place behind the scenes to plan events, she said.
“I really want to improve the communication between SGA, organizations, clubs, and students. I want to promote events from diversity organizations and clubs such as ISC, Walden, Futuro and others like First Gen and the Commuter Council,” said Santos.
She believes improving communication will improve the Trevecca experience as a whole and promote unity.
Santos is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and is majoring in business administration with a double minor in entrepreneurship and small business management, and graphic design.
Taylor Milam – DARDA Editor-In-Chief
Milam has been a part of DARDA for a year as a photographer and more recently a design editor. Through those roles, he has been able to see firsthand the importance of the collection of both history and knowledge.
As DARDA editor-in-chief, junior Taylor Milam wants to continue to preserve the rich history of Trevecca in both an accessible and personal way.
If elected, Milam would incorporate a theme of renewal for the next issue.
“We have been dealing with so much turmoil over the past years and now we are finally seeing buildings and sickness begin to finish. I would love to show how much we have all accomplished by including the experiences and stories of the diverse students of Trevecca,” he said.
An issue Milam has observed on campus is the student struggle with mental health from the seemingly endless stresses of the past years and before, he said. He understands that the best way to combat the issue is to simply talk about it and focus on what makes students happy.
To Milam, Darda is not just a yearbook but a “pearl of wisdom”.
“I would like to include students’ experiences and achievements in these struggles so that others may look back on their wisdom in the future,” sailed Milam.
If elected editor-in-chief Milam would also like to create fun picture days where students have the ability to choose their own backgrounds and styles to share with their friends.
Milam is from Tullahoma, Tennessee, and is majoring in information systems and wishes to go into user experience design.
Joshua Gee- Director of Intramurals
If elected director of intramurals, freshman Joshua Gee would like to add to the sports community at Trevecca.
He would like to not just get more students involved in intramurals, but to provide a wide variety of sports so everyone has something they could enjoy.
Gee is from Columbus, Ohio, and is majoring in Information Systems.
Kenny Moses – Director of Intramurals
Inspired by the impact that sports and relationship building had on him, freshman Kenny Moses wishes to run the intramural program at Trevecca to both influence and benefit students.
“I hope to include as many people as possible to these events and to increase the reach of intramurals into the student life,” he said.
As director of intramurals, Moses wishes to help with the involvement of students in as many things as possible to therefore create a better university experience. He believes that through interaction, students can ultimately improve their mental health as well as social life.
“If there is anything that outreach and interaction bring, I hope it to be those things,” said Moses.
Moses is majoring in chemistry and is originally from Dayton, Ohio. However, he has lived in Greenville, South Carolina for the past 15 years.
Grace Beckner – TrevEchoes Editor-In-Chief
Junior Grace Beckner served as the TrevEchoes editor-in-chief during the 2021-2022 semester, she is running for reappointment because storytelling and the people of Trevecca are important to her.
Reporting on events and topics relevant to the Trevecca community alongside other student journalists is a worthwhile job that must be taken seriously, she said.
“Our stories matter, and it has been a privilege to be able to serve the student body in this role over the past year. I would love the chance to be able to do it again!” said Beckner.
Beckner said the past few years have been inexplicably hard, but the things that divide students and the Trevecca community as a whole have become apparent.
She believes engaging in conversations is vital at a place like Trevecca, especially when cultivating an environment where people are willing to share their voices and be exposed to the different experiences of those around them.
“I hope the work I am able to be a part of as editor-in-chief of the TrevEchoes is one of the ways we can begin to bridge this gap,” she said.
And while Beckner is aware that her role as editor-in-chief will not singlehandedly bring about change, she hopes it can be at least a starting point to provide clarity, a different point of view, trustworthy facts, or even hope for Trevecca’s students and the people they are striving to be in the future.
Beckner is from Monte Vista, Colorado, and is majoring in intercultural studies with a minor in multimedia journalism.
Selah Torralba – Director of Inclusion and Belonging
Junior Selah Torralba served as the director of inclusion and belonging during the 2021-2022 semester and is seeking reassignment because she believes the role is an opportunity to be an advocate for the students who may not be adequately represented at Trevecca.
The most pressing issue to Torralba is students not having enough community support, especially diverse or minority student she said.
“I think minority students are really looking for places to belong and places to feel safe without having to put themselves at risk or feel tokenized or feel like someone is watching or critiquing them,” said Torralba.
Torralba believes that students are deserving of spaces on campus to be who they are without needing explanation or justification. One of the ways in which she plans to combat this issue is working with student development as well as with faculty in upper levels of administration.
She wants to engage in conversations about what genuine inclusion and belonging looks like. For Torralba, the only way sustainable change can happen is by having conversations about students experiences and honoring those experiences with informed decisions.
“I want to focus on having more conversations with students, administration, faculty, student development to provide both big and small systems of support and safety. So all students may feel honored, seen and loved,” she said.
Torralba is majoring in instrumental music performance with a minor in psychology. Her family is originally from the Philippines however she grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia.
