Student Government (SG) hosted its 2026 Elections Town Hall on March 20, where prospective SG President and Vice President (VP) candidates and Representative (RSO) President and VP candidates attended to discuss their platforms and answer questions from the RIT community.
SG President and VP Candidates
Yasmine Ibrahim, a third year Pre-Dental Studies and Healthcare student, and Nkodia Ndongala, a second year Physics student, are the sole candidates running for SG President and VP.
Ibrahim is currently SG’s Director of Finance, served as a delegate for the Honors Council and Academic Excellence Committee and is the Director of Operations for her cultural club, the Association of the Middle East and North Africa (AMENA). Her research involves oral microbiology and Parkinson’s disease for the College of Health Sciences and Technology (CHST), and she works for Rochester Regional Health’s oral and maxillofacial surgery department. Additionally, she’s the co-founder of the educational children’s app Multilinguals.
Ndongala is a brother of the Lambda Kappa chapter of Sigma Chi and serves as VP of Program and Events for the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Recruitment chair for the fraternity. He’s also the founder and current president of RIT’s Co-Ed Wrestling Club and the VP of Men’s Lacrosse Club. Additionally, Ndongala is the founder of RIT’s National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) chapter and a second-year representative for the Society of Physics students, where he conducts Physics education research.
During the Town Hall, the two explained that their platform focuses on five main concerns students have at RIT – health services, dining reform, connecting RIT to greater Rochester, advertising college-specific resources and clubs and co-ops.
Ibrahim explained that she aims to evaluate the access to on-campus diagnoses for students struggling with anxiety, depression, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD, and wants to expand RIT’s Disability Services Office’s (DSO) test center capacity to reduce wait times. She also stressed the importance of providing more nutritious dining options for students with dietary restrictions, such as vegan, kosher, halal and gluten-free, and making sure that those accommodations are available both earlier and later in the day. Ibrahim discussed the continuation of SG initiatives that connect RIT students with greater Rochester, such as the January “ROC the Block” downtown event and enhancing the shuttle system.
“As two Rochester natives, me and Nkodia believe that RIT shouldn’t feel like an island…” Ibrahim explained in their campaign speech. “We’re committed to continuing to improving initiatives that build the bridge between campus and community…”
Ndongala emphasized highlighting student work at RIT and that at other universities, they often have journals for each college where students can publish their projects, research and classwork. He explained that through collaboration with senators, the two plan on creating a journal for each college where students can have their work shown. He also explained the importance of connecting colleges to create interdisciplinary co-ops and the goal of creating a council between club and intramural sports to help increase communication and access. When asked what the two will do to combat RIT clubs from losing their spaces, Ndongala explained that when he started the Co-Ed Wrestling Club and received their room last semester, it took the club four months to receive access to the room, due to issues regarding cleaning the space. Rather than go to the students, he explained that internal talks occurred without them, delaying their access to the space. He stated that to fix this issue, the two will help student representatives in the clubs have “their voices part of these conversations,” which will streamline activities and offer better explanations to students.
Greek Leadership Committee (GLC) President and VP Candidates
Martina Alvez, a third year Industrial Engineering student, and Sebastian Canakis, a third year Computer Science student, are running for GLC President and VP.
Alvez serves as the VP of Programming for the Iota Psi chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha. She’s also been the VP of Diversity and Inclusion, VP of Programming and President for the RIT College Panhellenic Council (CPC). Her positions have allowed her to work alongside other chapter leaders and organize events and initiatives for the GLC community.
Canakis currently serves as Treasurer for the New York Theta chapter of Phi Kappa Psi, where he manages chapter budgeting and works on financial planning.
Alvez explained that one of their main focal points is clear communication and reliability. The two plan on communicating required and optional meetings and offering events promptly, so that chapters are able to both participate and stay informed. Another point she stressed was accountability and representation, and that they aim to push for social channels where initiatives can be highlighted, success is celebrated and support is provided for the community.
Canakis stated that transparency regarding resources for finance was a big part of their platform, and that it’s important for “us to get all our ducks in a row” before starting more projects. GLC is still fairly new, and Canakis explained they’ll work with chapters to create a “Greek Finance 101” guide, allowing chapters to be able to access the resources they need from GLC. He also discussed a more effective way to host GLC roundtables through council updates, shared changes and discussion items. Canakis also stressed the importance of clarifying the GLC bylaws so that each chapter understands its responsibilities.
Brandon Hernandez, a fourth year Mechanical Engineering Technology student, and Nagwa Fokunang, a third year Management Information Systems student, are also running for GLC President and VP.
Hernandez is currently President of the Beta Alpha chapter of Lambda Alpha Upsilon, a Resident Advisor (RA), Director of Finance for the GLC and is working on a co-op at Qualitrol, an electrical grid solutions company in Fairport, NY. Previously, he worked as the President of the Multicultural Greek Council, a research assistant for the Smart Manufacturing Research Group and a member of Men of Color, Honor, and Ambition (MOCHA).
Fokunang is part of the Gamma Iota chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha and has worked as an RIT 365 Peer Facilitator and Greek Row House Manager. Additionally, she’s worked at the student services desk at Saunders College of Business (SCB), as a secretary of GLC and has been part of RIT’s Vis Viva Dance Company.
Hernandez explained that over the past two years of being part of RIT’s diverse and complex Greek life, he’s come to see that it’s filled with leaders, philanthropy and academics, and that it is important for each council and chapter to come together and take the time to understand each other. Their online platform, which can be found through the 2026-2027 Candidate Platform site, states that the two aim to establish internal petition processes, similar to that of PawPrints, along with monthly town halls in order to provide transparency and member engagement among GLC.
Fokunang stated that one of the main reasons she wants to run is because of her own personal experience in Alpha Sigma Alpha. When she joined, she explained, she came in reserved, not feeling a sense of belonging in the space.
“I want to push more education about chapters and councils,” Fokunang said. “Specifically, having other councils understand each other and having us understand how we play into the greater RIT community as a whole.”
According to SG’s 2026-2027 Candidate website, candidates can receive infractions when breaking election rules. Each platform is given a bar with a color – green for zero to three infraction points, yellow for four to six, orange for seven to nine, brown for 10 to 12 and red for 13 and above. When a platform is in the red infraction level, they’re subject to expulsion from their candidacy. Hernandez and Fokunang are currently in the orange level, due to an email they sent out to GLC chapters, asking them to sign their petition and allow them to meet with the two of them one-on-one. Hernandez explained that it wasn’t intentional and was “a bit of a learning curve.” Additionally, certain content in the email could have been portrayed as “bashing” against the other ticket, according to Hernandez, which was not intended. SG’s site breaks down the infractions into five separate parts:
1. The candidates shall not meet with official SG groups to discuss their candidacy until their candidacy is approved.
2. Candidates, or people acting on their behalf, shall not distribute their petition for candidacy or promote their candidacy and their platform through RIT-distributed means.
3. Candidates shall not display the SG and RSO logo on any petitioning material,
4. Candidates and SG or RSO officers shall not engage in destructive actions against other candidates.
5. Candidates shall not use their access and resources given to them through RIT via campus affiliations to gain signatures, promote themselves, or gather votes.
Global Union (GU) President and VP Candidates
Mobassirul Karim Faraz, a third year Mechanical Engineering student, and Sadia Ahmed, a third year New Media Interactive Development student, are running for GU President and VP.
Faraz is currently the VP of GU, where he helps to lead initiatives that aim to support international students on campus. He also works as an Audio Visual Technician with Classroom Technology Operations and is part of RIT F1 Racing.
Ahmed serves as the Co-President of BrickHack, an RIT organization that hosts annual hackathon events. She also works with RIT University Advancement, where she’s built connections with the community.
Ahmed did not attend SG’s Town Hall, so Faraz spoke for each of them.
“…Every international student at RIT carries two lives,” Faraz said. “One that they left behind and the other that they try to build here. The question is, how is RIT, or how are we, making it easier for them?”
Faraz explained that through his and Ahmed’s platform, they aim to help international students with visas, secure internships and job opportunities and create employer engagement. He stated that to promote cultural exchange between international and multicultural students, GU should “stop treating cultures like separate islands and start building bridges between them.” This can be seen through their Culture Without Borders initiative, which explains how Faraz and Ahmed’s platform seeks to expand on culturally specific celebrations and to host large collaborative events that unite multiple cultures.
Aamir Sohail, a second year Computer Engineering student, and Sami Elboukhari, a second year Electrical Engineering student, are also running for GU President and VP.
Sohail is the Founding President of the Pakistani Student Society (PSA), an Event Manager for the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and a member of the Multicultural Business Association. Additionally, he’s an RA, is working as a Data Engineer co-op at Wegmans and finished RIT’s Momentum and MOCHA leadership programs.
Elboukhari currently serves as the VP for both the MSA and AMENA, an RA and a Student Researcher.
Both Sohail and Elboukhari were unable to attend the SG Town Hall. SG Director of Elections, Olivia Gauthier, spoke on their behalf. According to their 2026-2027 Candidate Platform, while GU plays a large part in RIT, cultural clubs often end up working on their own. To amend this, the two aim to make GU “a place that actively helps clubs grow and connect with each other.” Sohail and Elboukhari also aim to plan more joint events, and hope regular club events can transform into large-scale campus-wide events that highlight RIT’s diversity.
OUTSpoken President and VP Candidates
Emily Lu, a second year Graphic Design student, and Anand Caloh, a second year Electrical Engineering student, are running for OUTspoken President and VP.
Lu is currently the Director of Finance for OUTspoken, an e-board member for the Asian Culture Society, Thought At Work and the Association for Women in Mathematics. In the past, she’s been the freshman representative for Women of Excellence Supporting STEM and the ALANA Collegiate Association (ACA). They also sing with RIT’s Grace Notes acapella group.
Caloh is the VP for OUTspoken’s e-board and a third-generation member of the Queer community, which they’re proud to be a part of.
Caloh did not attend SG’s Town Hall, so Lu spoke for the two of them. She explained that both they and Caloh view community engagement as their primary focus, and that they both aim to increase involvement within OUTspoken through “small, consistent community-building activities to large multi-organizational events.”
“As a campus in Rochester, we understand the rich cultural and historical significance of queerness in our local community,” Lu said.
Lu discussed that both they and Caloh are proud of the gender affirming resources provided by OUTspoken, but that many students may not know the extent to which it provides. She explained that through public tabling events, where resources and promotional materials are made available, students will be connected to what they need. Lu also stated that “no one exists in a vacuum” and that the two of them plan on highlighting intersectionality on campus, so that students can feel more seen and heard.
More about SG candidates’ platforms can be found on SG’s 2026-2027 Candidates website. Voting opens on March 23 at 10 a.m. and closes on March 25 at 11:59 p.m. Students can vote on RIT’s Simply Voting website, and results will be sent out on March 27 at 4 p.m. to the RIT campus via email. Voting is estimated to take about two minutes, and those who take a screenshot of their voting completion page may receive free SG merch. More information can be found on SG’s Instagram page.
Those interested in joining SG can still apply for NTID Senator, College of Engineering Technology (CET) Senator, ACA President and VP and NTID Student Congress (NSC) President and VP. Applications for Cabinet, Committee Chairs and unfilled Senator positions close on April 3 at 11:59 p.m. and can be found in the links attached. Note that RSO positions may have their own deadlines and processes. Those interested in applying for ACA President or VP can reach out to ACA President Christabel Osei and ACA VP Kifekachukwu Nwosu at csoaca@rit.edu and knnaca@rit.edu, respectively.
