ASU Election Ushers in Next Gen Justin Roman

ASU Ushers in Next Gen

By: Justin Roman

On April 19th, 2021, the next generation of ASU was ushered as the President for the 2021-2022 school year was determined. The offer was extended to Vanessa Wu, Class of 2023, which she graciously accepted. As current Secretary for ASU, Vanessa cited her extensive work on the current 2020-2021 Board of Directors as a valuable experience to learn from. On running for the position of President, Vanessa commented, “I’m not going to lie, I never anticipated to run for president last semester. However, this semester Nortee Panpinyo and Mike Messina created BPALC and led the rally, which really motivated me to run for president. I was so inspired to see these 2 people. I look up to do something so amazing. I want to be a larger part of ASU and with the experience I’ve gained through being a secretary, I think I have the potential to continue with my own goals and ASU’s goals.” When asked for comment on his successor, current ASU President, Nortee Panpinyo, said, “Vanessa is an amazing successor. She encompasses everything I strived to do for ASU. Through my three years here I wanted ASU to become a place which would welcome others openly and have strong community bonds. Vanessa grew so much from my first time meeting her and she has learned to become both one of the most open people and such a powerful leader not afraid to speak up for the community. I have full faith that she will continue to advance and nurture this community.”

Vol. Xl, Issue I 17

A main concern from the outgoing ASU Board of Directors was that the current focus on activism will fade out once Binghamton University lifts Covid restrictions and organizations return to pre-covid activities. In addition, the work that the Binghamton Pan-Asian Leader Council (BPALC) did to connect the Asian clubs on campus will once again become undone without strong leadership. The incoming President addressed this concern with plans to create many new relationships with other SA organizations through many different types of collaborations. These collaborations would focus on mental health, professional development, and highlighting underrepresented communities. “History is always changing but old history and the past never changes.” Vanessa commented, “We need to keep ourselves updated with the past and learn from the potential mistakes people from our old organizations have made. We should keep in mind that documentation is always important and is especially important this year due to an online semester.” During elections one E-board member mentioned that the barriers between organizations are real and quite hard to break down. Vanessa & ASU hope to foster these connections by not just connecting professionally, but creating friendships between general body members. Vanessa states, “To the general body, step out of your comfort zone! It may be hard, but you can always start (it’s never too late!). I used to be so shy and afraid to attend events but after pushing myself and going with friends, I started feeling more comfortable with myself and wanted to reach out more.” With the 2021-2022 Board of Directors already decided, the community is very excited to return to on-campus events and see what is in store from all of them.