Students Leading Students Q&A with Kylie Burke, HUSA President
for students, contribute to a safe and engaging campus environment, and pursue meaningful student-centric policy changes.
Q: What are some of your top goals you hope to accomplish this year? A: We have three main goals for the year:
Kylie Burke, president of the Howard University Student
Association for the 2021-2022 year, is a senior prelaw,
internally connected, accessible to students and effective in
honors political science major from the San Francisco Bay
large-scale advocacy projects;
1. Optimize student government to become more
Area. She plans to pursue
a J.D./MPP program post-
meaning we must work to acclimate the first-time college
graduation and to become
students to being on campus and set positive social examples
a lawyer and policy
for what “being a Bison” is; and
advocate. She reflects on
the pandemic and how it
representation on advisory committees and continuing
changed Howard students
to advocate for all stakeholders to be heard by University
and its governance as well
leadership.
2. Transition to an improved on-campus community,
3. Restore student power by increasing
as how they can become active and involved.
Q: What’s it like to be back on campus for you?
Q: How can students help get these goals accomplished? A: An easy way for any and everyone to help is by doing
their part to keep campus safe. That means wearing a mask,
A: The entire D.C./Shaw area feels more familiar now – like
social distancing and treating each member of the Howard
you can’t go anywhere without seeing someone you know
community with respect. Students can also apply to join
or at least someone in Howard apparel. And I love that,
HUSA! We have applications out for freshmen and first-year
especially when you end up meeting new people who reach
transfer students currently available on our social media @
out just because they see you wearing a Howard t-shirt. Last
HUSAssociation.
year, I really missed that community and family feel a lot. As a student leader, I would occasionally be called to campus, but visiting and seeing the Yard so quiet/empty felt unnatural.
Q: What do you think is different between your year in office and prior years?
Q: What do you want students coming to campus for the first time to take away? A: This is YOUR TIME, use all of it! Please take advantage
of everything, from all the people you can connect with and the places you can go around D.C. to the professional or
A: Almost everything is different. I think student government
academic opportunities available through Howard. One day
and University leadership have always had to sustain an
very soon you’ll look up and be a senior like me, so do all that
implied level of flexibility, but these are unprecedented
you can now to ensure you get to walk across the stage with
times. Everyone has to be prepared to (quickly) make
no regrets, lots of memories, lifelong friends and, of course, a
drastic changes based on new information. But even with
well-earned degree!
the unprecedented times, I feel the goal is still the same for the Howard University Student Association: advocate
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