Voting for Student Government’s next election is just around the corner. To get ready to cast your vote, here’s all you need to know about this year’s presidential candidates.

Voting will begin on Monday and stay open until March 6. Students can vote online at any time or in-person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the following places:

• March 3: Cooper Hall and the Marshall Student Center Atrium
• March 4: Cooper Hall and the Hub
• March 5: Cooper Hall and Bulls Market
• March 6: Cooper Hall and MSC Patio

The student body president serves as a connection between USF administration and students. They also get a seat at USF’s Board of Trustees and have a vote on things such as infrastructure plans and the on-campus stadium.

As the presidential search for Rhea Law’s replacement begins, the board will also vote on Law’s successor.

The president also oversees the management of the executive branch in Student Government.

The vice president, on the other hand, is responsible for other duties from the office that might be delegated by the president. They are also next in line for the student body presidency if the president cannot fulfill their duties.

Besides voting for the student body president and vice president, students can also vote for campus governors and lieutenant governors, senators and campus council members.

Sumit Jadhav and Caio Esmeraldi

“For Sumit Jadhav and Caio Esmeraldi, their student government (SG) presidential campaign always comes first – even if it means missing out on a party.

“We were supposed to go to a party but we had to work on the campaign,” Esmeraldi said. “The campaign is a big priority for us. It’s above everything.”

Jadhav, a 24-year-old financial analytics graduate student and current vice president, is running for student body president.

Esmeraldi, a 20-year-old junior psychology major with no SG experience, is Jadhav’s vice-president running mate.

Both candidates come from two different parts of the globe. Jadhav is from Mumbai, India, and Esmeraldi is from São Paulo, Brazil.”

– Maria Ruiz Cortes, staff writer

Read more about Jadhav and Esmeraldi’s ticket here.

Bita Aliakbarzadeh and Alyssa Hubbard

“What started through some short messages on Snapchat evolved into a new friendship — and a USF student body presidential campaign. 

USF Student Government (SG) presidential and vice-presidential candidates Bita Aliakbarzadeh and Alyssa Hubbard met while looking for friends on the app.

“I was posting, trying to meet some new people and make some more friends,” Hubbard said. “[Bita] just transferred here and didn’t know anyone yet.”

Although neither of the candidates have held a position in USF SG, the friends came up with the idea to run because they wanted to be more involved on campus.

Aliakbarzadeh, 19, is a transfer student from the University of North Florida, where she started in fall 2023. She is a freshman international business and political science major at USF, but a sophomore by credits. 

Hubbard, 19, is a sophomore health sciences major and is part of Sigma Kappa, a panhellenic association. She was also recently inducted into Eta Sigma Gamma, a health sorority.”

– Isabella Oefelein, correspondent

Read more about Aliakbarzadeh’s and Hubbard’s ticket here.

Jamar Blaze Smith and Brayden Jahn

“Over winter break, Jamar Blaze Smith and Brayden Jahn traveled to Istanbul, where they put their language skills to the test by conversing with locals and ordering food in Turkish.

But now the pair are going on a different journey – the race for the offices of student body president and vice president.

If elected, they said they vow to serve the student body with fairness and without bias.

“Two words that would describe our campaign would be care and authenticity,” Jahn said. “That’s really what we haven’t gotten in previous administrations.”

The two public administration graduate students formed a close friendship after meeting in a comparative politics class in spring 2023.

Jahn, 26, who currently serves in SG as a Senator and chair of the Senate Policy Committee, introduced 32-year-old Smith to SG.”

– Hannah Matson, correspondent

Read more about Smith’s and Jahn’s ticket here.