Hi friends! Whoops, that’s State Chair Zellmer’s line!
Students United! Students United! Wow! This year was incredible to get to know my fellow officers, board members, and staff. They taught me things, as I never knew how to speak in meetings and how we should act around the system office. As my mother always tells me, there are places where you must act professionally on the job. First, I would love to thank the staff for the opportunity for me to serve on the board as Treasurer. I learned a lot from former Executive Director Carlee and Kalista for showing me how to read financial reports. Second, I would love to thank my fellow officers who I call my little sisters, Emma Zellmer and Arnavee Maltare, for being so supportive of someone older than them. The three of us made a unique team coming from urban, suburban, and international backgrounds. We have made an impact in Students United with our priority goals that we set to advocate for the future of our students.
I also would love to thank the staff for the opportunity for the Executive Board and Board of Directors and to fly out to DC to lobby. Federal lobbying was something new to me and I had some experience with state lobbying (not to mention not being on a plane in 20 years). I’d like to thank Carlee Diggins for being a mom to the team, I'd like to thank Abeer for the pop culture convos, and I'd like to thank Devin, Connor, and Lexi for the gaming conversations! I’d like to thank Caitlin for the photography contests. XD
I was glad to learn more about working in the non-profit field. When I met the staff a couple of years ago while eating pizza with them after the Advocacy Conference, I knew I had a future being an officer. I may have had a gaming background, but there’s so much more that I want to explore about myself that I’ve never tried. I was starstruck seeing Tina Smith who was bigger than I was. It made me think about working in that type of office one day while doing what I love and what’s best for me.
I’m going to miss Students United and hopefully, I’ll be in support of whatever opportunities Students United has to offer that are not officer roles. Thank goodness I had this chance to be with such strong and intelligent human beings before I retire from school when I graduate with my masters in 2023, haha!! SU FOREVER!!