Eighteen students won election to the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate, according to results the GUSA Election Commission announced April 13. 

The new senators will represent the Classes of 2025, 2026 and 2027, with six senators representing each class. They will serve for a year-long term, starting this week and ending in April 2025.

Evan Cornell (CAS ’27), Han Li (CAS ’27), Sienna Lipton (CAS ’27), Julia Revill (SFS ’27), Sahil Sud (SFS ’27) and Keatyn Wede (CAS ’27) won election to the six Class of 2027 seats. Incumbents Nico Santiago (CAS ’27) and Rai Hasen Masoud (SFS ’27) both lost their races for reelection.

Cornell said he hopes to improve transparency and communication in the Senate, focusing on construction, dining and campus services.

“My priorities for this next session of the Senate will include transparency across campus institutions, better communication when it comes to campus dining and Henle Village construction, GUSA representation and everyday needs on the Hilltop like more trash cans, reusable water filling stations and printing,” Cornell wrote to The Hoya.

Cornell added that he will advocate for term limits so more students can join the senate and feel included by GUSA.

“GUSA and the Senate have had a tendency to feel inaccessible to outsiders for some time now,” Cornell wrote. “I will also push for term limits in the Senate. As much as I like and respect my fellow senators, I do believe the best way to approach change on campus is to better allow new faces and ideas to come to the Senate.”

For the Class of 2026 seats, incumbents Meriam Ahmad (SFS ’26), Dylan Davis (CAS ’26), Ethan Henshaw (CAS ’26) and Rhea Iyer (CAS ’26) and new candidates Ahmad Abuirshid (CAS ’26) and Tina Solki (MSB, SFS ’26) won election. Incumbent George Currie (CAS ’26) lost his seat, with new candidate Hassan Malik (SOH ’26) also losing and incumbent Yasin Khan (SFS ’26) declining to run again. 

Abuirshid said he will focus on listening to students, adding that he joined the senate to contribute to improving campus after transferring to Georgetown this semester.

“My number one priority is listening to the students,” Abuirshid wrote to The Hoya. “One main focus we should all hone in on is inclusivity. I wanted to run because as a new transfer this semester, this school really made me feel welcome.” 

“I know it’s time for me to give back, and I’m very excited to start,” Abuirshid added.

Chijioke Achebe (SFS ’25), Robert Della Bernarda (CAS ’25), John DiPierri (SFS ’25), George LeMieux (CAS ’25), Samuel Lovell (CAS ’25) and write-in Dua Mobin (CAS ’25), all incumbents, won election unopposed to the Class of 2025 seats. 

The senate certified the election at its April 14 meeting before swearing in the new senators. The new senate unanimously elected Ahmad as speaker and Iyer as vice speaker. 

Henshaw will chair the Policy and Advocacy Committee (PAC), which drafts and proposes legislation, Hermonstine will chair the Finance and Appropriations Committee (FinApp), which allocates over $1 million in funding to student organizations annually, and LeMieux will chair the Ethics and Oversight Committee, which upholds the GUSA bylaws and constitution.

Discussing her plans for her speakership, Ahmad said she will focus on helping all senators pass and advocate for their legislation.

“We’re all passionate about different things in the Senate, from mental health to Leo’s to admissions policies to GUTS, and my goal will be to help every Senator advocate for what matters to them,” Ahmad wrote to The Hoya.

“I am also excited to continue working on some of my personal projects, which include printing on campus, dining and expanding Canva Pro access,” Ahmad added.

Ahmad advised incoming senators to specialize on specific issues and solutions in their advocacy.

“I encourage all Senators to identify two to three issue areas on campus that they are passionate about and find tangible solutions to the problems that they identify,” Ahmad wrote.

As vice-speaker, Iyer said she plans to improve transparency in GUSA, establishing more communication with the student body.

“Whether that be through our Instagram account or through tabling, GUSA should be accessible to the students,” Iyer wrote to The Hoya. “GUSA is an organization for the students and they deserve to know what we’re doing to advocate for them.”