Sara Kandel

Hi Wildcats!

My name is Sara Kandel and I am a Junior studying Public Health with a Global Health emphasis. I do my best to be an advocate for the people around me. I find joy in connecting with others and understanding how I can be a more reliable support system. Finding community at the University was a challenge as I stepped foot on campus with a virtual year behind me. The adjustments of coming to a city unfamiliar to me was a difficult transition and I found myself riding the Flixbus back home every weekend. 

The travel was never economical but it supported my mental health while I sought out my own community on campus. 

Gradually I became more involved through clubs I joined and professional commitments. I started visiting cultural centers such as the Asian Pacific American Student Affairs (APASA) and used resources such as Campus Pantry and SafeRide. 

I find solace in knowing that there are resources available to me to help me get acclimated to my environment, being a student paying out of pocket for tuition. I want to be an advocate for resources as well as for students who are seeking the same comfort. A student can face their most formative life experiences within the years that they attend their university. It is my hope that I can help students feel more comfortable on this campus through self expression and resource utilization. 

I hope to connect more students to the Campus Closet, to expand the outreach of Campus Pantry, and to ensure that university events, such as Spring Fling, are equitable allowing every student to engage in school spirit. I intend to connect students to events hosted by FORCE to facilitate discussion regarding intersectional feminism. I plan to improve the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community on campus through expanding the outreach and resources of PRIDE. 

I plan to not only support the current programs overseen by the Administrative Vice President, but I hope to organize opportunities for students to have a say in their own safety on campus as we keep the University running. Home is a place that is safe. And if campus is not safe, it’s difficult to make home. 

From student workers, to student researchers, to students who are the great leaders and trailblazers of our future, we are the blood and body of this school. I plan to be an advocate for my classmates and peers. I hope to do everything in my power to act in my position as Administrative Vice President in a way that is effective, reliable, and transparent. I hope that I can answer any of your questions in these next few weeks leading up to the general election. It would be an honor to receive your vote, to elect me as your 2023-2024 ASUA Administrative Vice President.