Vice Presidential candidate: Ali Ahmad Cheema

Ali Ahmad Cheema
Position: Vice President
Party: Freedom Party
Hometown: Pakistan
High school: Army Public School and College
Major: Engineering Science
Age: 21
Clubs/Organizations: None

Why did you decide to attend HVCC?

After moving to the United States a few years ago, his sister convinced him to attend Hudson Valley for the financial aspect.

Why did you decide to run for this position?

“Growing up and going through high school in Pakistan, I never had that opportunity.” Cheema went on to say that he joined because of another member, Jamison Jarosz.

What are your qualifications?

Cheema believes the many jobs he has worked in the past will assist him with this position. Cheema has worked for the state in finances and for the retail store Sears. After his father passed, Cheema also had to take on additional responsibilities at home.

What’s your greatest asset?

Cheema believes his greatest asset is his diverse background, having grown up in a foreign country and moving to the United States.

Please provide three adjectives to describe your ability to lead.

Cheema believes his ability to lead this position stems from his reliability, commitment and truthfulness.

Name five initiatives you would like to focus on in your position.

Cheema wants to focus on lowering and diversifying the food cost and options here on campus. Cheema also wants to lower the cost of the vehicle registration fee from $80. Another initiative he wants to focus on is to have the school recognize holidays of all faiths. The fourth initiative he talked about was to have veteran parking and veteran discounts at the bookstore. The last initiative he wanted to mention was to have the art students paint a mural in or on the outside of the parking garage.

What have been some of your greatest experiences during the race so far?

Cheema enjoyed the public speaking aspect of the race. “Because I am an engineering science major, I don’t get to meet that many people on campus.” Cheema continued to talk about how this really boosted his moral and how his understanding of what students want changed.

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

Cheema believes people are too self-involved. He believes that not enough people are getting involved on campus. “They come to school and then go home,” he said.

How would you fix said problem?

Cheema wants to remedy this problem by communicating with other club leaders and try to have more events on campus. He believes that if more people got involved on campus it would make the college seem more appealing and would improve the declining enrollment rates.

Do you have any previous leadership experience?

“In high school, if you were a good student, we were given the opportunity to lead the class,” Cheema said.