By Nick Erickson
Nearly four years ago, George Washington University senior Christian Zidouemba was a wide-eyed first-year student from Burkina Faso, West Africa, looking to find community at his new school.
He’ll now be the voice for all students as he was elected Student Association president for the 2022-2023 academic school year. The international business and international relations major secured 50.98% of the vote in his third bid for SA’s highest office.
The elections took place last Tuesday and Wednesday, with the Joint Elections Committee certifying the results Sunday night. A total of 2,690 students voted in this year’s election.
By involving himself in an array of student groups and activities in his quest to find community, Zidouemba met many students of different backgrounds. Hearing their stories persuaded him to run for SA’s highest office, and he hopes to be a president who will amplify all GW student voices.
“This is a great opportunity for us not only to be able to showcase our university as an international campus, but also that people from every background are able to benefit and making sure as a leader you hear the voices of students,” Zidouemba said.
Some of his concrete plans are addressing food insecurity issues on campus, such as supporting GW’s new transformative dining experience that encourages community and sustainability, and working with the GW Alumni Association to increase donations and offer more scholarships. He has already done so by promoting Giving Day for the university’s main Instagram account.
Zidouemba, who will be serving his presidency while a graduate student at GW, will also be encouraging community service among students.
Yan Xu was voted vice president of the Student Association. (Photo courtesy Yan Xu)
Sophomore Yan Xu won the SA vice presidency after securing 50.18% of the vote in the sixth round of ranked choice voting. Also studying international business and international relations, Xu is currently the chair of the SA finance committee after being a first-year senator in the 2020-2021 academic school year.
In his current SA post, Xu, who hails from Harbin, China, works extensively with both students and the administration. One of his primary roles is securing funding for student organizations, and that has allowed him to get a view from both perspectives.
He decided to run for the vice presidency because he thought he could use that experience to make an even larger impact.
“I realize as VP I have more time and opportunity to interact with the administration and student body that will give me a bigger opportunity to solve problems and advocate for students,” Xu said.
In addition to electing SA senators, students supported a referendum updating financial and current practices in the SA Constitution, as 83.14% of votes casted backed this referendum.