Drew Hartz ’24 was elected the next student body president and Yinka Akinlade ’24, the next executive vice president, on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Also, Braden Ritchey was elected GSLMU president, and Miguel Guareschi the next GSLMU vice president.
Hartz is a health and human sciences and political science double major from Seattle, Washington, and Akinlade is a film and TV production major from Chicago. The pair ran on a campaign of inspiring integrity. “To us, that means serving others with the aim of cultivating community so that every person can be authentically themselves,” said Hartz and Akinlade. “It means amplifying student voices and leveraging the university’s resources to see students thrive in a way that wouldn’t be possible alone. It means serving the community through open channels of communication and fostering approachability, to actively listen to students.”
The team hopes to channel its four years of ASLMU leadership to serving the student body. Hartz has worked on campus as an LMU EMS EMT and tour guide and is a member of Crimson Circle service organization, as well as having served two years in ASLMU as a senator-at-Large and then vice president of sustainability and operations. Akinlade has worked on campus as a tour guide and summer resident advisor and was the vice president of membership for the Delta Zeta Sorority, all in addition to serving as an ASLMU first-year senator and Academic Affairs representative. Leveraging these experiences, this administration aims to focus on individuality, experience, and transparency. The two hope to reinvigorate ASLMU in student life through true representation.
Ritchey, a first-year graduate student majoring in philosophy, said he wants to work in higher education as a program director, with his primary goal of this leadership role expanding his experience in higher education. “I want to help improve the graduate student life here at LMU,” said Ritchey. “I have always loved being in high education and have always loved working with students to improve their experience while in college.” Some of his previous LMU experiences have included serving as a GSLMU senator and lead graduate assistant for all LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts GAs and the leader of BCLA’s Annual Graduate Student Symposium. Guareschi, a graduate student majoring in civil engineering, said he hopes to make a difference in graduate students’ experience at LMU. “My goal is to create a supportive and inclusive environment where every graduate student feels valued and respected, regardless of their background or beliefs,” said Guareschi. “I’m excited about the opportunity to serve my fellow graduate students and to help build a stronger, more cohesive community at LMU. Let’s work together to make LMU the best it can be!”
