As many of you know, I am a passionate person. My rants and my outbursts are nothing more than me simply being who I am. And with that same passion and the same fervor, I have actively contributed so much to my environment. And after months of guidance and support, this year, I finally got the guts to run for SGA. My running mate and I had finally seen a moment of opportunity to make real change and no matter the outcome, that's what we did.

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Going to a PWI has to be one of the hardest things a minority can do, especially in a place like Erie. If it's not the weather trying to take something from you like your self-esteem or joy, the people do. While I love being a Penn State student I never saw the urgency for change until last year. I quietly resisted the racism, the ignorance, and the bullshit that sweeps through our campus like a hurricane. When I decided to run for SGA President, I had one thing in my mind the whole time: the student body.

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I have spent four years not only working with different groups on campus, but I also have had four years to lead different groups on this campus. I thought that would be enough and in the end, while I would do it all over again, I saw a different side of not only many of the students, but Penn State Behrend as a whole.

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I watched a small SGA election, for a branch campus, to turn into a political Dogfight. I had my name slandered. I was illegally recorded. I heard vicious things said about other people running. And I watched dirty politics take over an entire institution in the matter of two, small weeks. Not only is that highly disappointing but it's damaging. There are people I no longer wish to see. There are faces that I don't care to acknowledge. And worst of all, there are words that I still have left to say.

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In the grand scheme of things, my feelings may be of no consequence. As college students, we are not naive enough to believe that snakes aren't lurking in every meadow we walk through.

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I say all of that to say this: I learned more about myself and the very environment I wish to change. I learned that not every friendly face has a friendly heart. And I have realized that no change comes easy. While I didn't win, the fact that so many people felt empowered and heard made all of the difference. Those that feel as though they can't say what's on their mind, felt comfortable to be here and they felt as though they mattered. Various students felt that they could step out into the world and not feel judged or ignored.

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As more negative things kept happening, I had so many moments of encouragement that it made me want to keep going. I would have snapchats and Facebook posts and messages that displayed the difference it makes to let people know that they matter and that they deserve to be represented by someone that knows they matter.

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While the experience was hard, I would run again. And I would do it just so that people who feel alone know they're not. I do what I do so that we can ALL feel safe and respected and that's all I want at the end of the day.