Kwolanne Dina Felix

Biography

I am Kwolanne Felix, and I hope to represent you as President of the Student Council. I am a current Sophomore studying History, and have a keen interest in international politics and gender equality. As I have served as the Gender and Sexuality Representative for 3 semesters, I have learned so much about this institution. It hasn’t always been easy but my favorite part is collaborating with others to push for the policies we deserve. Especially for policies that demand a dynamic and multifaceted approach, working in coalition with others has been key to my success.

Platform

In our different experiences advocating for strong policies as CCSC members, we have learned so much from our service to the student body. Which is why in our approach to inclusive policies, we must acknowledge the need for collaboration. Inclusion and diversity are more than buzzwords — they are reflected dynamically in our vision and work we intend to do in every e-board position. 

A Culture of Inclusive, Collaborative Policies:

CU Soon hopes that inclusion isn't reduced to a subsection of our work, and aims to reflect this in our policy approach by expanding the reach of the Inclusion and Diversity Task Force, founded by Kwolanne. We acknowledge that CCSC is not the only body working on important policies, and hope to build a culture of collaboration with various student leaders and organizations addressing marginalized students’ experiences. This includes working to expand the Inclusion and Diversity Task Force initiatives, such as free meals over Winter Break and pushing for more reasonable definitions surrounding sexual consent (based on meeting with No Red Tape), and Brandon’s work with SHIFT’s (Mental Health Task Force) Faculty Relations team.

These efforts will help institutionalize a culture of inclusion and collaboration. 

Peer Mentorship:

We want to spearhead a CC Peer Major Mentorship program, inspired by the existing program in SEAS, Brandon’s involvement in Columbia Mentoring Initiative (CMI), and internal groundwork created by Brandon and current Academic Affairs Rep Zayba Qamar. We envision juniors/seniors being matched with first-years/sophomores to build cross-year community and support students through academic and career guidance. 

Internal Reforms:

To ensure that Council members can perform their jobs better, we hope to implement trainings introducing Policy Committee members to how administration is organized/structured, reinforce internal guidelines to reduce issues such as co-optation of other members’ initiatives, and create more cross-committee collaboration within council.