A freshman now sits second-in-command at the Students’ Association Senate table.
Marco Ramos, a first-year international student from Mexico, was elected deputy speaker of the Senate Monday night at the branch’s Gowen Room meeting.
Ramos defeated junior Alexandria Brown in the vote among senators.
“It feels amazing to be elected. It was my desire to get involved in the Senate to make a change in any way possible, and being elected for Deputy Speaker allows me to do that,” Ramos said in an email to the Campus Times.
Emphasizing that he needs to get familiar with his new position, Ramos said he plans to make the deputy speakership “a more proactive position.”
“[The deputy speaker] could hold meetings with various deans to analyze problems on campus and seek a way to involve SA to fix them,” he said. “This way, I can bring points of interest to the table for the senators to look over, and we could work alongside staff members to make change.”
Speaker of the Senate Lindsay Wrobel, a senior and herself a former deputy speaker, said in an email that though Ramos’ election was unusual, his new role should allow much growth.
“I think that Marco will do an incredible job with the role, as he’s incredibly eager to learn,” she said. “He demonstrates a great deal of perceptiveness in regards to the many issues our campus, and the greater Rochester community have, which I think in combination with his fresh perspective, drive, and willingness to learn are a recipe for a phenomenal deputy.”
Ramos said that his election not only brings a “different way of thinking to the table” but also makes a statement.
“I want students to know that regardless of being freshmen or international students, they are able to get involved in their student government to make a change,” he said. “It does not need to be an atypical scenario anymore—there’s no reason for it to be.”
He has little concern that his class year and age gap will limit his ability to lead.
Ramos’ election came after the resignation this semester of junior Katherine Bakrania, who had been elected in the spring to replace classmate Anmol Almast, who resigned from the role after less than two weeks. Both cited hefty outside time commitments as their reason for resigning.
