Xaiver Williams, Shawdee

Bakhtiari reminisce on leadership-filled JMU careers

By MORGAN VUKNIC The Breeze

Student Body President Shawdee Bakhtiari and Student Representative to the Board of Visitors Xaiver Williams met early in their freshman years when they both lived in Wayland Hall. Four years later, they’re looking back on what they accomplished throughout the years and their strengthened connection to the JMU community.

“From freshman year on, we both understood that we have a very similar style of leadership,” Bakhtiari said. “We realized that we had a good rhythm going on and that was something that really helped us with our relationship with the student body. We both have these different perspectives that we fused together to create our team.”

As a student representative to the Board of Visitors, Williams attends open Board of Visitors meetings and acts as a liaison between students and the Board. He also works closely with Bakhtiari on administration committees and on events around campus.

Both Bakhtiari and Williams said one of their favorite events they worked on was Halftime on the Quad, which was in October 2022. Bakhtiari said events like this allow her and Williams to connect with fellow Dukes.

“This was one of my first real times getting to speak to students with [Williams] and Tim Miller,” Bakhtiari said. “It was super exciting to see everyone enjoying the simple pleasures of being a Duke. It’s a memory that I look back at fondly.”

Since Bakhtiari and Williams are seniors, they’ll be graduating in a week. Both said they’ve grown as people in their positions and want students who may be interested in leadership positions to know that they should simply go for it.

As student body president and student representative to the Board of Visitors, Bakhtiari and Williams serve as a “communitybridger’’ for students and administration. While there are challenges that come with the position such as the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health crises on campus, Williams said getting to interact with the JMU community makes it all worth it.

“One thing this position has taught me is that there’s beauty in community and communication,” Williams said. “I don’t think I would have ever known what the students wanted had it not been for the honest conversations I’ve had with many of them. It’s helped me to become a bridge-builder with many different groups of many different backgrounds.”

One person that works closely with Bakhtiari and Williams is upcoming Student Body Vice President Faith Forman. While she works more closely with Bakhtiari in SGA, she said both Bakhtiari and Williams have been supportive of her.

“[Williams] is super welcoming to everyone,” Forman said. “I see everything he does across campus, and I know that he will be successful in whatever he does in life. [Bakhtiari] has also been a big mentor to me over the past year. The way she holds herself and the way she captures crowds is something that I really admire.” see STUDENT LEADERS, page 12