For Senator • Voices of Change
Hello everyone!
My name is Shauna-kay Thomas. I am a student at BMCC majoring in Health Information Technology and I am running for senator. I am currently the President for the Health Information Technology Club and the Executive Council Chairperson for the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). I am also a mentor for Urban Male Leadership Academy (UMLA) and the IMPACT program. My plan after BMCC is to enroll in a four-year college of choice to earn my bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management.
I thought about how to arrange this letter for two days and concluded that “prettying” up a letter is not what is needed at this time. In fact, the last two semesters have been extremely difficult! There is nothing I can say or do to make up for the academic trauma we have experienced as students. The COVID-19 pandemic has crept up on us, drastically altering our lives as students. I have never been so worried and stressed out about my classes and the load of assignments that come with them. Who would have thought that online classes would be so difficult? To make matters worse, we were all locked up and segregated from our social norms, which took a toll on student’s mental health and some of our professors did not make it any easier. The workload suddenly increased beyond our capacity; we were only allocating enough time to attend classes and completing assignments to meet deadlines. I have listened to the complaints of students from various majors, and we have all shared the same concerns. Moreover, professors are not taking the time to ensure that students are grasping the concept of the materials covered in class. I believe professors should be prepared to help students learn the content at their pace, rather than only passing the class or receiving a letter grade. Textbooks on the other hand, are extremely expensive. This semester I spent about $400.00 on textbooks alone. Why can’t open educational resources be an option so that students do not have to spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks for classes?
Being a Senator is not just a position, it is a responsibility. If I am afforded such responsibility, I will advocate for mental health, fight for students to be heard, and introduce trauma-based teaching. Also, seeing as campus is about to reopen, I want to improve the quality and affordability of food in our cafeteria. Furthermore, BMCC is made up of a diverse population and I believe that our college should organize a series of workshops to talk about the various cultures: Black, Latino, Asian and the list goes on, so that students can learn about the different cultures on campus. Lastly, being a mentor has made me realize how much I enjoy bringing clarity to others. I enjoy being asked questions and being able to respond and provide resources. I intend to be that person for the student body, with an open mind and willingness to listen. I intend to find every avenue possible to create awareness and provide opportunities for students.
Thank you all for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Shauna-kay Thomas
