With UPUA election day quickly approaching, three presidential candidates are vying to replace outgoing President T.J. Bard. Over the next several days, we’ll be posting profiles of each ticket to help you make a more educated decision on March 28.

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Maggie Quinn: Presidential Candidate

Basic Information

Junior from Doylestown, PA, Majoring in Public Relations, Minoring in Business.

What is your political background/experience?

I have been involved in UPUA for the past three years starting as a Freshman Intern. After that I was elected as an Off-Campus Representative and Vice-Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee. I currently serve on the Executive Board as Press Secretary. Outside of UPUA I have been involved in the Penn State College Republicans for three years and act as the Executive Director. I enjoy following Pennsylvania politics and maintain close relationships with legislators.

Why did you decide to run for UPUA President?

I chose to run for President because I want to improve student life at Penn State. UPUA has had some good initiatives, but there is so much more room for growth. We need a strong leader to ensure that growth and increase student advocacy and inclusion. I absolutely love this university and want to learn from the past in order to make strides for future Penn Staters.

Why should students vote for you over the other two candidates?

Gina and I will strengthen the student voice and bring more legitimacy to student government. We will continue UPUA’s current initiatives but still bring fresh feasible ideas to the table such as the Penn State Marketplace. Our experiences in and out of UPUA have allowed us to grow into leaders ready to take on the challenges of serving the students as President and Vice President. The platform came directly from talking to students and we will continue that same method of open communication if elected. Our ears open to the hearing students’ concerns and ideas and we have the drive to make their initiatives a reality.

Gina Feghali: Vice-Presidential Candidate

Basic Information

Junior from Stamford, CT, Majoring in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science.

What is your political background/experience?

I have been a part of UPUA for the past year where I was the College of Communications Representative. I also am the sub-committee programing chair for the academic affairs committee.

Why did you decide to run for UPUA President?

We decided to run because we thought there needed to be a change in student government. We wanted to give each student at this university a voice. By introducing the “Your Voice” tab on our website we are hoping to do just that. I think we can make a difference at this university and we can bring all different student organizations together to work towards a common goal. Whether it’s through the Encampment Series or Penn State Market Place each initiative brings Penn State students together to work on a project so that in the end we have built relationships and accomplished goals that benefit the university as a whole.

Why should students vote for you over the other two candidates?

Students should vote for the Quinn/Feghali ticket instead of the other two because we have new initiatives as well as the old. We plan on continuing UPUA’s good initiatives and working on them to make them even better than they were in the previous years. Our drive and passion for leading the Penn State community mixed with our dedication to making this university better truly makes us the best candidates for the job.