Members

Hey all! My name is Jacob Binder, and I'm excited to serve as one of your senior senators this year. In this role, I hope to take action that reflects your interests and moves our campus towards policies that benefit the student body.

As the Senate's President pro tempore this term, I will work with our Senate President to provide effective leadership for the Senate. In my capacity as the chair of the Committee on Internal Operations, without a doubt the coolest of the committees, I will work with its members to overhaul our bylaws, reform the student government's structure, and ensure that Senate business is carried out as smoothly and efficiently as possible. I'm also excited to work with Kushala and SJ on the Academic Affairs committee to make students' academic experience on this campus as beneficial as it can be, including by raising awareness of and encouraging students to take advantage of programs already available.

My job is, first and foremost, to represent you and to make your voice heard. I encourage you to share with me any concerns, ideas, or questions you may have at Binder25J@ncssm.edu or wherever you may find me around campus. I can't wait to work with members of the student government and the student body to make our campus a better place for us and the classes to follow!

Hi everyone! I'm Lily Jantes Moya (she/her), and I am excited to be your Senior Senator chairing Student Affairs! My main goals this year are to build an environment where students feel welcome, heard, respected, and safe and to develop our community to represent the diversity and differences in our student body. I plan to coordinate and execute events that we will all enjoy and support our clubs, sports, and organizations!

Aside from my role, I love spending time with friends and family, listening to music, going to the gym, going on walks, and reading. I hope to connect with you all and positively impact our journey here at NCSSM! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas or want to talk!

Hi everyone! I’m Rhianna Zhu and I am so excited to represent you as a senior senator! As your Chair of Health and Safety, I am here to ensure the wellbeing of our student body. I recognize that physical and mental health are equally important components of overall health, and I plan on addressing this through multiple new health and safety driven initiatives. That includes making educational and awareness opportunities such as CPR certification, first aid certification, and suicide prevention training accessible to students. I am also a member of the Internal Operations committee!

In my free time, I love spending time with friends and family, trying new foods, playing piano, and hanging out with my cat!

If you have any questions, concerns, or are interested in joining the committee of Health and Safety, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We are always welcome to new members :) You can reach me at my email Zhu25R@ncssm.edu or find me studying around campus or going for walks outside. I look forward to a great year!

Hey everyone! I’m Kushala Kota. I am from Greensboro, NC. I am excited to be serving as the Chair of Academic Affairs this year. I enjoy reading and writing. I don't spend a lot of time outside, but if it is below 50 degrees, I will definitely be taking a walk. As for the upcoming school year, I hope to make the academic environment more approachable for students, including trying to minimize the flipped classroom, promoting the use of TAs for testing purposes, encouraging students to attend office hours, and much more. I hope to improve upon the issues that the student body faces in an academic environment to hopefully ensure that our class and the preceding classes will have an amazing academic journey at NCSSM. I am thrilled to work with everyone this year, and I know we will achieve great things!

Hello NCSSM-Morganton! My name is Lauren Yu and I am excited to represent you as a senior senator. I am the senate general secretary as well as the co-chair of the Sustainability and Campus Improvement committee, alongside SJ Barlow. My primary job is to propose, plan, and execute ideas for the betterment of our campus and to further the sustainability of our community. I am also a member of the Student Affairs committee (go Lily!). In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer, taking pictures, and reading. If you have any questions, ideas, or requests, please don't hesitate to reach out to me!

Hey, everyone! My name is SJ Barlow, I’m from Cashiers, NC, and I’m thrilled to be serving as one of your senior senators this year. I am Co-Chair of the Improvement and Sustainability committee, alongside Lauren Yu. My role in this position is to ensure that our campus is as eco-friendly as possible while spreading awareness for our impact on the natural world. I am also a member of the Academic Affairs committee.

In my free time, I enjoy drawing, running, and spending time with friends. I also serve as Co-President of the Botany and Environmental Engineering Club and Online Lead for STEM Buddies. I am very passionate about the environment, and I have numerous goals for this year aimed at making our campus a greener place. These include setting up a pollinator garden on NCSSM’s property and collaborating with the cafeteria to improve our composting program.

If you have any questions or are interested in joining a committee, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at Barlow25S@ncssm.edu. I am super excited about this school year, and I know that we are going to accomplish great things together. Go Dragons!

Hey everyone! I am working this year alongside the rest of the Executive Board to communicate SG initiatives with you. I hope to demystify SG and make it so every student feels included in their operations. If you ever have any questions about how you can get involved with SG please explore this website or contact me at Strimple25S@ncssm.edu. 

Manya Nallagangu is the Director of Outreach on the Executive Board of NCSSM’s Student Government. This year, her goals include fostering cross-campus collaboration by coordinating events with her Durham counterpart and exploring volunteering opportunities with local organizations. She plans to establish partnerships with restaurants, schools, and bookstores in the community to secure deals and discounts. Additionally, she will create a community event awareness calendar, updating it weekly to keep students informed and engaged with local happenings.

Hello everyone! My name is Prerana Kulla, and I am ecstatic to serve as one of the members of the Executive Board for this year's SG session! As your Director of Elections, I am dedicated to ensuring the execution of free and fair elections within the NCSSM Student Government. My responsibilities include managing all election-related activities, from creating ballots and running meetings to enforcing campaign guidelines. This year, my primary goals are to increase student engagement in the electoral process and maintain transparency and integrity in all election proceedings. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or comments!

Hi everyone! I am your Director of Campus Climate this year, so I oversea the promotion of inclusion, belonging, and mental and physical wellbeing on campus. My goals for this year are to increase communication and collaboration between culture clubs and to help establish Motown Mixers as a tradition on campus. I am looking forward to throwing another successful Culture Fest this year! 

My position revolves around coordination and assistance with the UNC Association of Student Governments, the collective organization representing 240,000+ students across NC. This year, I have goals to further the establishment of NCSSM-Morganton as an ASG institution and ensure efficiency for our members.

Hello! My name is Shirina Baskaran and I am the Campus Liaison for Student Government this year. I will be the Chief Officer of Campus Outreach with UNCASG, aiding in organizing campus outreach programs and advocating for student concerns. Through this position, I aim to increase campus outreach within the UNC and local community by fostering communication, advocating for campus safety and improvements, and organizing initiatives. I will bridge the gap between the External Relations Department and our Student Government through my position allowing for a connected outreach process. I look forward to seeing the impact of SG this year!

Hi, I am the 2024-2025 Club Chartering Advisor! This year, I hope to ensure a smooth club chartering process for all qualified proposals. I had a great experience with club chartering during my junior year at NCSSM Morganton, so I hope to extend that into this academic year. Feel free to reach out with any questions regarding the club charter process!

Hello, my name is Zoe James and I'm excited to be your Inventory Advisor this year! I am in charge of knowing the supplies in the inventory in order to help clubs with creating funding requests and best utilizing the items offered to them. This year I hope to make it much easier for clubs to host lots of fun events!