By: Marijn Thijs
Can you introduce yourself, and what position are you running for?
I am Anna, a 19-year old second semester student. I am majoring in Social Sciences and I am running for the Vice Chair position in the AAC.
When did you decide you wanted to run?
There was not really a particular moment when I thought: ‘Yes, I am running for AAC Vice Chair’. The process of deciding was more gradual. When I started at UCR I was immediately interested in running for one of the big boards; AAC was the most logical choice for me, as academics at this university are the reason I chose to come to UCR in the first place. I think I realized I wanted to run for AAC about halfway through my first semester, but I only recently decided the position I wanted to go for.
Why this board, why the Academic Affairs Council?
As I said earlier, I wanted to run for AAC, because I chose UCR as a university for its academics. I would really like to contribute to those academics, and I think it is a great opportunity that I get to have input in what is going on with my academics, next to those of my fellow students. I think that is a really cool feature of the Academic Affairs Council. Furthermore, I want to run for Vice Chair specifically because this function in particular has so many sides to it – you get to be a secretary and take the minutes, but you can also experience a little bit of everything else, by helping and supporting the other board members. I think by being a Vice Chair, I could get the most out of my term and have the widest experience. There are so many aspects to the position, and I thought that is very interesting.
Why do you feel you would be the right person for this position?
I think I would be a valuable board member because I am reliable, I am a stable person and I feel I could really provide some stability for the board, and I am also simply very motivated and prepared to dedicate as much of my time as needed to the Academic Affairs Council.
Is there anything else you would like to tell Tabula Rasa’s readers?
Vote for me if you want your academics to be the best as they can be, because that is what I will try to do for you!
Marijn Thijs, class of 2016, is a History and Linguistics major from Maartensdijk, the Netherlands.
