Meet the Candidates; HUSA and Undergraduate/Graduate Trustee

 

Candidates: Brandon Dean & James Alexander

Position: HUSA Executive President & Vice-President

Platform: HUSA Anew 52

 

Brandon Dean is a sophomore from Brighton, Ala. studying political science and African-American Studies. In his first year at Howard University, he served as freshmen class president in the College of Arts & Sciences with 72 percent of the popular vote. He successfully raised $6,000 to lead a delegation of undergraduate and graduate students to Harvard University for a Black Policy Conference. He also worked with the educational advisory center to increase participation in class checkups by historical numbers. Brandon currently serves as the financial aid advisor to the Howard University Student Association, chair & founder of Team on your Side, and vice president of the Howard University College Democrats.

 

James Alexander is a junior English major from Newnan, Ga. As a freshman, he was appointed as a member of the policy department of the Howard University Student Association. During his tenure, the department uncovered roughly $2 million of funding. This funding became the source of the first HUSA Grants.  He was elected as an Undergraduate Student Assembly representative from the College of Arts & Sciences. He also served as Constitutional Review Committee chairman and parliamentarian of the general assembly. Alexander, along with two-time HUSA vice president William Roberts, authored the changes to the HUSA constitution to create the new HUSA Senate, which is taking effect this election season. He currently serves as the executive vice president of the College of Arts & Sciences student council.

 

 

Candidates: Julius Holmes & Pali Payne

Position: HUSA Executive President & Vice-President

Platform: Ending the Run Around: Improving Communication from staff to student 

 

Julius Holmes is a junior political science major, business administration minor, from Philadelphia, Pa. An Army brat by birth, Holmes spent the majority of his childhood outside of the United States. International travel and exposure to diverse cultures led Holmes to develop a unique life perspective that is reflects his travels. During his time at the Mecca, Holmes has been blessed to have experiences as diverse as the Howard University student body.    

He has served on Carver Hall's judiciary board and was elected president of Slowe Hall dorm council. Holmes' is also a member and president of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. and serves on the Council for Fraternal Organizations. Additionally, after having the privilege of serving as the student ambassador for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Holmes went on to become founder and president of a similar organization, The Scholar's Shield Initiative. Additionally, Julius serves as a mentor to new Howard students through the Howard University Buddy Program.

            Outside of Howard University, Holmes has served in Pennsylvania State representative, Cherrell Parker's, office. He is also the vice president for Good for Humanity Inc., a family owned start-up company, which inspired him to create and lead his own company named, Holmes De Novo Umbrella Corporation. He has also served as chief intern for the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation where he played a pivotal role in reducing unemployment in Philadelphia. Holmes is also a proud member of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pa. His future aspirations include obtaining a law degree from Harvard Law School and a life as a public servant in elected political office.

 

Pali Payne is a junior legal communication major, political science minor. For the past three years, she has been an active member of the Howard community and active with the student body. She is a member of the Howard University chapter of the National Society of College Scholars and has excelled at working with people in a professional and business environment. Payne is motivated, energetic, personable, intelligent, dedicated and able to develop and implement solutions to the most difficult problems. As an active member in many student activities, Payne is extremely involved in her Howard University, D.C. and South Jersey communities. She is an active member and current treasurer of the Howard University mock trial team. She also is a member of the Howard University Catholic Newman Club, where she grows spirituality and assists with various church activities. Payne also served as service coordinator of the New Jersey Club with programs for the soup kitchen, walks, and a toy fundraiser. Her favorite event was a Senior Prom for senior citizens at a nursing home.  Over the summer, she served her D.C. community by interning with Washington Against Violence, where she provided administrative services, receptionist services, wrote articles, attended fundraising events, watched children and assisted abused women, men and children.

 

 

 

Candidates: Cameron Clarkson & Rachael Sanni

Position: Executive President & Vice-President

 

Cameron Clarkson is a sophomore political science major from Saint Paul, Minn. His childhood was full of experimentation with his wide variety of interests. Clarkson was in band, several theatre productions, creator of the non-profit Freedom Theatre Project, and captain of his high school's state champion football team. Upon arriving at Howard University, Cameron discovered a love for poetry and began writing and performing on campus and in the surrounding Washington D.C. area. His artistry helped him to see the political condition of the United States and the world in a new light. Clarkson is now the vice president of Words and Rhythms Productions, which serves as a liason between Howard University artists and local venues, an elementary school tutor, and an employee with the United States Department of Education. Clarkson also serves as a volunteer coach for the Shaw Howard pee-wee football team and a freelance writer for the Hilltop and WHBC.

 

Rachel Sanni is a junior African-American studies major, communications minor from Chicago, Ill. She currently serves as a resident assistant in Slowe Hall, an active member of NCNW, WARP, Chicago People's Union, Howard Players, Endustry Power Players, a personality for WHBC, and is the first runner-up to the current Miss College of Arts and Sciences. Before she graduates, Sanni wants to help the Howard University community understand that it's not our individual success that matters, it's the comfort of collective that we strive for each and every day.

 

 

Candidates: Brittany Foxhall & Madiagne Sarr

Position: HUSA Executive President & Vice-President

Platform: Believe

 

Britney Foxhall is a junior international business major from Detroit, Mich. She has loved Howard since she was young and made the decision early on that she would attend. Foxhall has been active as a team leader for the 21^st Century Advantage Program, served as the special elections commissioner for the School of Business student council, represented Howard University on the D.C. Student Alliance Council, and is community service chair for the Team Leader Organization. She also has been active in HUSA for two years serving as both collegiate alliance coordinator and director of political and external affairs. Though she is involved, Foxhall understands the importance of scholarship, as she maintains a GPA that's allows her to be recognized by national honor societies. Upon graduation, Brittney plans to attend law school or enlist in the Peace Corps focusing on business management in underdeveloped nations

 

A junior international business major born in Oakland, Calif., Madiagne Sarr spent his childhood years between his American hometown and Senegal. He has always been taught to have a strong dedication to not only his formal education, but also the ideas of constantly striving to learn more and having a positive impact on those around him. He has embodied this teaching as an active Bison. Madiagne served as a management team leader for the 21^st Century Advantage Program, president of the Drew Hall dormitory council and president of the School of Business sophomore class. He is an active Howard University student ambassador, has participated in several service initiatives, and is affiliated with multiple campus organizations. Upon graduation, Madiagne plans to enter a 4-year graduate program to pursue a joint MBA/JD degree.

  

 

Candidate: Lesley Pace

Position: Undergraduate Trustee

Platform: PACE for Progress

 

Lesley C. Pace is a sophomore information systems major from Denver, Colo. She came to Howard to be educated and environed in the beautiful spectrum of the black diaspora and todevelop as a servant leader. Lesley has become involved in various capacities including serving on the Undergraduate Studies Committee, her position in the Howard University Student Association, her volunteerism with Women as Change Agents, and she also traveled to China as an ambassador with the Freshman Leadership Academy. 

 

Inspired by her mentor, Lesley chose to delve into the realm of student government and policy in order to have a positive impact on this campus. She stands firmly on her agenda, PACE for Progress: Promoting Awareness, Connection and Evolution to obtain progress. Her primary concerns are the portrayal of Howard University to the global community and accountability of the board to the students through communication. It is her mission to serve as the embodiment of the student perspective in the boardroom and the set the PACE for Progress at Howard University. 

 

Candidate: Marcus Carey

Position: Undergraduate Trustee

Platform: Do Something

 

Born and raised in Detroit, Mich., Carey came to Howard University in search of a renewed and broadened outlook. Throughout his tenure at the University, he has worked with several organizations, on and off campus, in an effort to learn more about the issues facing our global society and to make some sort of an impact on the Howard University and D.C. community. He has been active with the School of Business, serving as freshman class vice president and a management team leader. While off campus, he aids underrepresented communities through a mentorship program with the U.S. Dream Academy in southeast D.C., Howard University's Alternative Spring Break Program in New Orleans, La., and an advisory committee with the Midnight Golf Program in Detroit, Mich. Additionally, he has participated in summer internships with Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York City, N.Y. Carey has also had educational-travel opportunities to Accra, Ghana for the 2010 Appropriate Technology Conference and London, U.K. for the fall 2011 semester abroad at Richmond University. 

 

 

 

Candidate: Adedamola Sokoya

Position: Undergraduate Trustee

Platform: Start

 

 Realizing the role hard work and education played in allowing my father to leave Nigeria, Sokoya developed inimitable affinity for both. He has always had a desire to work and sought out opportunities to do so. However, when he first applied to Howard University, he was not accepted and attended Morgan State University for a year and a half instead. At the end of that time, however, the appreciation for education and hard work Sokoya now possesses, had been strongly reinforced. He applied to Howard, was accepted and took his place at the Hilltop. During Sokoya's tenure at Morgan, the inexistence of a campus-wide wireless internet network was a grievance he felt kept the university's students from the limitless bounds that the college education they were paying for entitled them to. Sokoya petitioned to the administration and sent the president of the university an email during the summer of 2010. His efforts paid off the ensuing semester when the president's office informed the student body that a wireless internet system would be developed. At Howard, with this same passion for the constant betterment of the education experience, Sokoya decided to humbly serve the student body at Howard by running for the next undergraduate trustee. 

As trustee, Sokoya's vision for the University is to restore the Howard student's competing power both in America and the global arena. To bring this goal to fruition, the Start Campaign will:

-Advocate Student input in ongoing University Renewal 

-Recognize students' demands

-Returning personality to the Trustee position, returning the voice of the Howard Student to the Board. 

 

Candidate: Courtney Scrubbs

Position: Graduate Trustee

Platform: TheNEWMecca

 

Courtney Scrubbs is a new face hoping to provide a new attitude and a new perspective to Howard University by serving as the 2012-2013 graduate student trustee. As both a medical and law student, Scrubbs is familiar with the rigorous academic paths of many social and hard sciences students. A graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, the well-known predominantly pre-med HBCU in New Orleans, La., Courtney is also very familiar with issues that commonly plague historically black university systems. In fact, Scrubbs' intimate knowledge of these issues has informed her service in leadership of every institution of higher education she has attended since 2000. That's right, Scrubbs has over 10 years of student leadership experience and perspective to offer the Howard community. 

 

Several of her past leadership roles include: student government executive vice president at Xavier University, the first African-American student government president at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in Philadelphia, Pa., a past board of trustees member at PCOM, and the national vice president of the Student National Medical Association, founded at Howard University. Courtney has also served as a board of directors member of this organization for three years. 

 

Scrubb's platform, entitled TheNEWMecca, seeks to place an emphasis on the University's efforts to both reestablish itself as the pinnacle for higher learning while reinventing itself as an organization known for its customer service, its ground breaking research, its unprecedented alumni support. Scrubbs hopes that through her campaign, students will become more informed about the institution and the challenges facing its students, faculty, and administration across schools and campuses. However, most importantly, she hopes students will become inspired to contribute what time they may have respective of their academic pursuits to the furtherance of this movement. 

 

 

Candidate: Alpha Bah Esq.

Position: Graduate Trustee

Platform: Customer Service & Networking

 

 

Attorney Alpha Bah is a first year student in Howard University School of Business MBA program concentrating in finance and supply chain management.  He is also a graduate of Howard University School of Law. For undergrad, Attorney Bah attended Drexel University, where he studied mechanical engineering.  He currently serves as the grievance coordinator for Howard University's graduate student assembly, and previously served as the chief financial officer for the Student Bar Association.  He sat on Drexel University's judicial board for two years and is a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.  Attorney Bah is from Maryland and enjoys reading, learning different cultures, and serving the community.

With regard to platform, other than performing the given trustee duties, Attorney Bah will focus on improving Howard's customer service relations with its students.  He will also work hand-in-hand with the graduate student assembly to increase networking among the graduate students.  Instead of delivering many promises, Attorney Bah intends to focus on these two issues as they are the most pressing to the graduate student body.