FEATURED: LIZZY KAPUSCINSKI '20

Lizzy Kapuscinski '20

I wanted to aid in the communication between students and administration, and I felt like student government was the place to do that.

Staying Connected: Student Body President Brings People Together Virtually

By Karen Alley

“One of the things that is special about Guilford College is the community we enjoy here as students,” says Lizzy Kapuscinski ’20, a History and PoliticalScience double major who was elected Student Body President her senior year. “Not only are you close with your roommates or people in your major, but as a senior class we all have a bond.”

Lizzy’s pride in Guilford College and the community it builds encouraged herto lead tour guides in Admissions and get involved in campus leadership. “It provided a way for me to share what’s great about Guilford with other people,” Lizzy says. In the spring of 2019 Lizzy was asked to join a leadership coalition of students, administrators, faculty and staff to work on easing the transitionto the new academic calendar and promoting the culture of Guilford College.

“That experience helped me realize I wanted to aid in the communication between students and administration, and I felt like student government was the place to do that,” Lizzy says.

When the pandemic hit and students weren’t able to come back to campus, at first it felt like the communication and community building that comes from it was stripped away. “Guilford’s a place where you walk across the quad or go to a meal in the dining hall and have conversations with people, and we no longer had that,” Lizzy says. Even though the face-to-face interaction was gone, Lizzy knew the sense of community was still there, and as Student Body President she created a platform on Instagram to bring students together.

“It really started because students had so many questions about what was going on,” Lizzy says. “They asked me because they knew in my role as Student Body President I had access to administration and the Dean of Students.”

Lizzy fielded questions about what would happen as courses moved online, when students could return to get their belongings and what was going on with commencement. “After the first onslaught of questions, it turned into more of a forum for people to find out what others were doing in their classes, share resources and just vent. It turned into more of an emotional check, which I think we all needed,” Lizzy says. “It was really rewarding to see the Guilford community still interacting with each other and providing support and encouragement.”