The Uplift campaign made up of President Bryson Henriott, Vice President Oba Samaye and Treasurer Kate Lindgren won the Student Government Association’s election on Feb. 23. The trio will serve as the 2022-2023 Executive Office following their inauguration on Apr. 5. Between now and Inauguration Day, Henriott, Samaye and Lindgren will be busy with preparations to make the most out of their time in office.
Despite being the first ticket to run unopposed since 2015, the third-years believe their connection with the student body spurred the University of Georgia community to vote.
“I had people coming up to me saying, ‘Why should I vote? I don’t have a choice,’” Lindgren said. “And then when I told them about our initiatives, they’re like, ‘Yeah, I’ll, you know, give you that vote.’”
Uplift plans to continue to build upon its campaign goals immediately following the inauguration. To do this, the president, vice president and treasurer have begun to reach out to various on-campus groups. Their initial introductions to administrative departments have opened the door to how they will collaborate in the coming year.
One of their campaign pushes was improving parking on campus by allocating the same spot to different students based on varying class schedules. To begin accomplishing this, the trio has reached out to UGA Parking and Auxiliary Services.
The campaign has also emphasized mental health days and increased attention to diversity and inclusion.
Now, the SGA campaign is focusing on gaining advice from the current administration.
“A large part of what we’ve been trying to do over these next few days and few weeks is just see how we can best support and uplift other parts of campus before we even get inaugurated on April fifth,” said Henriott.
Uplift is also gearing up for upcoming cabinet elections. As the team that supports the elected ticket, these individuals will oversee the specifics of many initiatives throughout the term. Conversations with the current SGA administration has helped the Uplift team to recognize what they are looking for in a cabinet. Usually, those applications are released a few weeks after the Executive Office is announced.
The new SGA leadership wanted to echo their appreciation for those who supported their campaign efforts.
“I just feel very grateful, grateful to be in this position,” Samaye said. “Grateful to be around these people and just to be able to serve in this position. It’s definitely an honor and definitely grateful for it.”