Candidate Campaign Speeches

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 12:39:04 -0400

We have the candidates for the coming year's officer positions! Voting is now open until April 30th. The ballot is a google form accessed at the bottom of this post. Here are the candidates' campaign speeches:

- Abigail Kennedy, running for President and Vice President:

My name is Abigail Kennedy, and I am running for President or Vice President. I am a rising senior with dual degrees in Ancient Studies and Biological Sciences and a minor in Computer Science. This past year, I have been involved with the Ancient Studies Council as the Treasurer. In this role, I have maintained connection with our financial board representative, hosted Scribe School with Dr. Lane, and represented the club at events such as Student Org Trainings and Involvement Fest. I have also been involved with the Biology Council of Majors, with which I was elected Vice President. As the Vice President of BioCOM, over this past year, I have hosted several meetings in place of the club president, presented to the club on research papers, including talking about my own research with an archaeology lab with the Smithsonian, organized meetings and topics behind the scenes, and facilitated communication between the members of the executive board.

I am running for President or Vice President because I believe that due to my experience as the Vice President of BioCOM in this online environment and the roles that I have held in clubs prior to the pandemic that I would be a good fit for navigating the difficult transition that we will be encountering this upcoming year as we transition back to in-person classes and, potentially, in-person club meetings. While I do not know what this upcoming school year has in store for us, I am committed to campaigning for the members of this club as they best see fit, whether that be in the form of in-person events, online events, or a mix of both. I want to find the best way to bring this club together socially while also ensuring that the health of its members is always prioritized.

- Julia Labuda, running for Secretary:

My name is Julia Labuda, a current sophomore, and I am an Ancient Studies major as well as a Geography and Environmental Systems major. I have applied for the Secretary role, as I am most interested in helping and informing people, as well as organizing information. I already have a year's worth of experience with this role which will help me to create posts for the club's events. I also would like to help the club branch out to different social media platforms so that future events can reach more people. This will help to generate more community interest in the events and increase attendance.

I am suited to this role due to my natural organizational skills, great writing skills, and a love to help people. Whenever someone needs something done I make sure to do whatever they need in the best way I can. If someone asks me a question I am more than happy to answer it or direct them to the right path. Lastly, I just genuinely enjoy being part of a community that has likewise interests and sharing that with others. I am happy to help organize the fun activities this club has to offer, and am delighted when people tell us they had a blast!

- Mary Nolan, running for Vice President:

Hi everyone! My name is Mary Nolan and I'm currently a sophomore Chemical engineering major, Ancient Studies minor. I’ve had a love for ancient history and mythology since I was a kid and have been so happy to incorporate it into my college career. When I learned about this group halfway through the semester, I knew I had to join. I am a responsible and hard-working person and think I would make a great Vice President. This is something that I’m very passionate about and I think my excitement and determination will make me a great leader of this group. I would love to help manage, organize, and plan events, activities, and other exciting things for this club. Thank you so much for your time!

Thank you to all that applied to this year's election! Since we had no campaign for Treasurer, please email us if you are interested in the position.

If you have any questions regarding voting or about the election in general, please contact our Secretary at jlabuda1@umbc.edu

Voting Ballot Here: https://forms.gle/vJkZ8fDQUYp8QWGf6