By Alex Johansen —
With 128 votes New Jersey City University seniors voted for their new class president, Jane Sepulveda, on October 13, 2011.
“I want to get people more involved. I want to build a sense of community among us students,” said the newly appointed senior class president. Sepulveda is a 22-year-old Geoscience major who hails from Jersey City. “I want to get the students more active as a student body because we can do more and make changes.”
She surpassed the 3.0 GPA required to run for class president and submitted her personal statement about why she is the best for the job. Her campaigning consisted of fliers and one-on-one talking to students, which paid off.
“At Ferris High School I won the position of senior class president. It was awesome and now it is ironic,” said Sepluveda. “At Ferris I began the movement to begin a girl’s football team. I didn’t think I would run again as senior class president but I got a lot of experience. I’m super ambitious,” she explained.
She is also the vice-president of the geology club and a member of the academic standing committee with the university senate.
“I’m a singer. I wouldn’t say it’s a hobby; it’s a passion. My hobbies are the arts: drawing, designing, fashion design.” said Sepulveda, “I’m a Christian. I spend my time reading the bible and talking to others. I’m a big speaker. I would say that’s an area of strength of mine and I do strive for the general good of the community and public.”
She is a leader with a creative twist to solving problems, however, she doesn’t see herself outright pursuing politics.
“I’m going to try to find a job as fast as I can. I’m definitely going to grad school though. I might go for sustainable development or counseling. Through counseling I can build the skill set to be consultant and mediator for a lot of different companies,” she said.
But for the time being, her focus is NJCU, which she dubs as an oasis in Jersey City.
“I love the diversity. I love that on Kennedy Boulevard you see mostly minorities. I’ve gotten to know so many different cultures and so many different people that I otherwise never would’ve known. You get a lot of different points of view that I really appreciate,” she stated.
Her term began October 14 and already she puts in 20 hours a week, similar to a part-time job. She is currently focused on her resume and career building workshops.
“In the near future I want to make a job demand workshop to let everyone know what’s in demand out there for those seniors who don’t know what is needed,” said Sapulveda. “I have an e-board now so I can have discussions. I can outreach to seniors and get the general public’s opinion. I plan to cosponsor events with clubs to benefit the student body as a whole.”
In the spring Sepulveda expects her workload to increase between planning for the senior dinner, more workshops, and preparation for her commencement speech.
“I’m nervous about the speech but I’m also very excited,” said Sepulveda. “As I encounter someone in class or in the cafeteria I write it down and as I go along and piece it (the speech) together. And they all contribute to that one day at graduation when I make that speech.”
In the meantime, Sepulveda hopes to lead the senior class to a memorable and valuable final year by making a difference any way she can.
“So far students are expressing concern regarding price increases of Gourmet Dining. They also definitely want to see more guidance. Seniors want to be better advised. A concern for a lot of seniors is graduating on time,” clarified Sepulveda.
But whether the issue is small or affects the entire well-being of NJCU, Sepulveda has opened up her private means of communication to all. E-mail is her preferred way of contact but very soon she anticipates her own university phone line for the student-body to access her.
“I want to leave a legacy. This is my fifth year and I’ve never heard of a class president doing anything on campus.”
Now it’s time for the student-body to step up, speak up, and be heard by somebody who is actually listening.
