Presidential candidate: Ganiat Giwa

Presidential Candidate: Ganiat Giwa
Party: People’s Party
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
High School: Greensprings School
Major: Biology
Age: 17
Clubs/Organizations: Cultural Pride Club, Student Senate

Why did you decide to attend Hudson Valley?

“I was supposed to go to England for college. I want to be a surgeon, and America has the best medical schools. My mom pointed out that I had never been away from home before, and she was scared I would drown in all of the drama of a four-year school.”

“I am not far from home, and it helps me save money. Hudson Valley is also a really high-quality school.”

Why are you running for this position?

“I have always been interested in leadership. I love having influence and being able to help people. You need to be someone who is selfless and can push other people even when you can’t push yourself. That’s my nature. I am the type of person who likes to see everyone happy, thriving and being the best version of themselves. It just felt like something I should do.”

What are your qualifications for running?

“My upbringing molded me into a person that I am very proud of. I grew up listening to African proverbs from my mother. She used to tell me to never stop moving, to never give up and to never let the world shut you down. I grew up being motivated. Passion, drive and motivation are things you need as a leader because you hit a lot of obstacles.”

What is your greatest asset?

“My greatest asset is my team. I don’t like working alone. It’s my ability to reach out and draw people in. I get my energy from people. Working with different people allows me to absorb their knowledge and perspectives.”

Can you provide three adjectives to describe your leadership style?

“Understanding, focused, motivated.”

Can you came five initiatives that you would really like to work on?

“One thing my party really wants to work on is unity. There are a lot of beautiful things that happen on campus, but everyone is in this little bubble. I want to see a campus working together, unified.”

“The second initiative is to work on campus spirit. Everyone wants to just come to Hudson Valley and then get the hell out of here. It is on the student government and the students to make this place more than just credits.”

“I also want to work on communication. Students have no idea what is going on between the student government, and the Student Senate is supposed to be a bridge between them and the school government. It’s our job to make them know.”

“Our campus should also have more than one common hour, so club officers will have the option of coming to senate meetings or joining another club.”

“The fifth thing for me is working on diversity. I was struck by how much diversity our campus has, and we don’t have a lot of events to celebrate that. Diversity is important because if we cannot embrace everyone’s differences, we cannot come together and be unified.”

What has been your best experience campaigning so far?

“When I was petitioning one day, I walked up to a freshman and asked if she could sign. She looked moody, so I asked what was wrong. She just began to cry. She’s a first generation college student whose parents are in Africa. Her English was really patchy, but I could piece it together since I’m Nigerian.”

“She said she was depressed and lonely at HVCC, and people barely understand what she’s saying, so it’s hard to communicate. I asked her if she had joined the International Students Club, and she said she couldn’t find them, which brings us back to the problem of communication. I realized that many non-Americans have a huge problem with communicating at HVCC — they feel alone when they aren’t. It made me realize that people actually depend on campus spirit to feel like they belong to a community.”

What is the biggest problem with student life at Hudson Valley?

“I think the greatest problem with student life is lack of community spirit. I know a lot of people would say communication [important], but even when we put the events out there, barely anyone shows up. Many people come into HVCC ready to transfer. No one one stops to enjoy the experience because there is nothing making them to.”

How would you solve these problems?

“It’s our job now to make changes and create opportunities that make them want to spend a few hours on campus after classes. We really want to edit the school calendar of activities and ask students what they want to see on campus. The key is to mimic a four-year college the best way we can. Students need to feel the campus spirit and believe they can get the college experience here. If this calendar of events hasn’t been able to draw them out, then it’s due for some changes.”

Previous Leadership Experience:
“Head Girl”
Nigerian Class President equivalent. While Giwa was class president, she worked to bring computers to her school and other technology programs.
Duke of Edinburgh Leadership Camp.