In the recent Thelomathesian election, over 700 students voted, which is the highest number of student votes St. Lawrence University received during the election since COVID-19.

Kimberly Bravo ’25 won the presidential race by a majority of 61.5 percent, Pedro Yupa ’25 won vice president of senate affairs with 96.6 percent, Inci Ucar ’26 won vice president of university relations with 68.5 percent, and Kianna Lim ’26 won the Secretary race with 49.95 percent of the votes.

Current President Dean Brooker ’25 is happy with the turnout. “The semester went incredibly,” Brooker said. “The recent election was the largest Thelmo senate and large voter turnout. The students clearly believe Thelmo is important and are representing students’ interests.” He also mentioned that the transition of power is in great hands, and he said he foresees no problem with the transition. He went on to say, “Kimberly having experience on the executive board will allow for a smooth and quick transition into her new role. Due to her experience, she will be able to lead her new team incredibly.”

President-Elect Kimberly Bravo wants to continue fighting for increased student wages as well as improving working conditions. In addition, Bravo “hopes to create an environment that is conducive to getting things done while also fostering a change that inspires students to continually advocate for what they believe in.”

Newly elected Vice President of Senate Affairs Pedro Yupa’s goal is to “commit to enhancing support for student leaders of multicultural organizations at our university.” Yupa wants to recognize the significant contributions and the unique challenges students face. According to him, “it is crucial to provide more than verbal appreciation.” Another goal of Yupa is to advocate for a more equitable campus environment “where the value of all student leaders is recognized.”

Secretary-elect Kianna Lim is grateful to the students of SLU who have put their trust in her. Two of her main goals involve Academic Advising and Environmental Affairs. Lim wants to create anonymous tutoring, “allowing students who feel embarrassed to ask for help to be put more at ease.” In addition, Lim “would like to inquire about Recycling training being just as prevalent and important as Title IX training, possibly involving various organizations with the same goal to input some of their own content.” For example, the Environmental Action Organization could talk about the science behind recycling rules, and Close the Loop could add clothing care instructions.

To Lim, “it’s always important to that Thelmo and the student body have a direct line of communication. I want students to not only know who we are as an organization but also what we do and that we want to help the school population as much as possible.”

The increase in voter turnout between the 2022 and 2023 Thelmo elections resulted in a more diverse and committed Executive board. This new Executive board promises hope for the future of how Thelmo will ensure that the interest of the students will be heard and that action and not just words will ensure that changes will be made on campus.

With this recent election this fall here at St. Lawrence, we can all see the power that voting can have when we all participate in electing the right candidate. This is the power that you have to elect leaders at every level of government, especially in the presidential election in 2024. I urge you to continue to use this same power.