Last week, Nicolette Angelli, current Undergraduate Student Government Association treasurer, was elected USGA President defeating Michael Swift, current USGA Vice President of Operations.

Angelli has been directly involved on campus since her freshman year. Although she had varying ways of trying to fit in with the USGA, she knew she wanted to be a part of it. She had always considered what it would be like to be USGA President, but never thought it would be reality.

“I always thought about running for president but never saw it actually becoming something more than just a dream,” she said.

Angelli expressed her excitement to learn and grow through the position, including learning how to be a student leader for the whole campus.

“I’m excited to learn about the needs and concerns of our students and really bring the community together,” she said.

Angelli comes from a background of USGA, being a Senator and a member of the budget committee last year, which lead to her being elected treasurer for this year. She was inspired by going to each SOAR session last summer and remembering what it was like when she first came to campus as a Charger.

“When we came back on campus from that moment on, I was really thinking about it,” she said.

Last semester, Angelli said, was when she really committed to this endeavor, having conversations with USGA President Samantha Moul and others on what this responsibility would take.

The first thing Angelli plans to do when she takes office is to sit down and start setting goals for her term. She plans to set short, long, and very long-term goals in order to better prepare for her tenure as well as after she leaves. One of the first things she plans to do is to “give students more opportunities to express their concerns based on what they are.”

To do this, Angelli plans on taking account of what issues arose this year and how they can be addressed in the next school year. She wants to make sure students know exactly where to go with different issues.

Revamping the USGA committees has been an important part of Angelli’s campaign. She thinks that the ones that are currently operating are necessary, but not enough to serve the campus efficiently.

“I think our committees do a lot, but there’s a lot more we could do. Whether we succeed or fail at least we could try,” she said.

Angelli thinks that her experience as treasurer has set her up for a smooth transition to her new position.

“I think it really allowed me to network and meet people from different clubs and learn about each club,” she said.

There are over 140 clubs at the University and each one must interact with the treasurer in order to get and use monetary funding. Having the connections with these clubs and their members will set up a better system of communication for Angelli as president, she said.

In terms of what she would change about USGA upon starting her term, Angelli is looking to increase outreach and communication with people outside of the student government.

“We should be reaching out not just to RSO’s, not just to committees, but to other branches of the University,” she said.

She also mentioned that it is important to reach out to people outside of the organization to show them what USGA does and how they can benefit.

“I really think we need to broadcast what we’re doing more,” she said.

One of the most significant jobs Angelli has as USGA president is to appoint an executive board. Her treasurer (Kim Minier) was elected by students at the same time, but she will need to choose a senior vice president, vice president of operations, executive assistant, and a sergeant at arms.

Angelli is looking for her E-Board to exemplify the same ideals that she has and have the same passion for USGA. She is also looking to find people who are similarly planning for their future and the future of the campus.

“Everything we do sets up for things in the future,” she said.

Angelli expressed her excitement to begin her tenure and to get to know the campus community and improve upon the progress that has been made.

Swift addressed the USGA body at their meeting last week, saying he is hoping for Angelli’s success and that he will still be heavily involved in USGA.