Our final presidential candidate is no stranger to the USG and UConn stage. She has been involved in a variety of organizations and currently serves as USG Comptroller. A sixth-semester management information systems major, she hopes to do something in big data analysis, move over to public policy and possibly get her masters in U.K. International Business one day. (Photo courtesy of Priyanka & Manny 2019 on Facebook)
You may have seen their posters and campaign promises across campus and on social media, but now’s your chance to go beyond the politics of the presidential and vice presidential candidates for the upcoming Undergraduate Student Government (USG) joint elections. Voting for the elections is open until noon today, so make sure to log onto vote.uconn.edu to cast your votes. The past two days, we featured the campaign teams of Dylan DeMoura and Matthew Zancewicz as well as that of Fabio Saccomanno and Talha Bhatti. Today, we will be featuring the final team of Priyanka Thakkar and Manny Chinyumba.
Priyanka Thakkar, Presidential Candidate
Our final presidential candidate is no stranger to the USG and UConn stage. She has been involved in a variety of organizations and currently serves as USG Comptroller. A sixth-semester management information systems major, she hopes to do something in big data analysis, move over to public policy and possibly get her masters in U.K. International Business one day.
“I work as a campus tour guide and it is probably one of my favorite things I have been involved in at UConn so far,” Thakkar said about her involvement. She’s also been to multiple alternative breaks, now serving as a team leader.
Thakkar takes advantage of all UConn has to offer, from the Dairy Bar to athletic events.
“I love going to the Dairy Bar or Horsebarn Hill on a nice day,” Thakkar said. “I also love attending the many events that students hold on this campus, especially since there is such a strong and capable body at UConn that tries extremely hard to bring Huskies together. I am a huge fan of women’s basketball and men’s ice hockey.”
She also has plenty to do when she’s looking to chill out and relax.
“My favorite pastime is watching Buzzfeed Tasty videos and trying them out…I can honestly say that most of them have been pretty successful,” Thakkar said. “I am also interested in different types of music. I love exploring through my Release Radar on Spotify to try to find anything interesting.”
Wherever her future takes her Thakkar knows she wants to keep expanding her worldview.
“One of my passions is finding and learning more about different cultures and experiencing their perspectives on life,” Thakkar said. “I would love to travel to different parts of Asia and South America one day.”
Chinyumba is also involved in a bounty of UConn organizations and hopes to share that as a newcomer to USG. As a sixth-semester political science and real estate double major, he’s interested in policymaking and how it affects communities locally and nationally. (Photo courtesy of Priyanka & Manny 2019 on Facebook)
Manny Chinyumba, Vice Presidential Candidate
Chinyumba is also involved in a bounty of UConn organizations and hopes to share that as a newcomer to USG. As a sixth-semester political science and real estate double major, he’s interested in policymaking and how it affects communities locally and nationally.
“Ideally, I want to study public policy to help mitigate the disparity in economic, educational and health resources for citizens in both the state of Connecticut and the U.S. overall,” Chinyumba said.
The vice presidential candidate has always liked to stay busy, and his college years have been no exception. Besides becoming a brother and eventually the secretary of Alpha Delta Phi, Chinyumba is a tour guide for the university, an R.A. in Husky Village and a morale captain for HuskyTHON.
“Being a tour guide continues to be a rewarding experience meeting prospective students and relaying to them why I love UConn so much and how this institution has offered me a vast amount of resources to learn and grow,” Chinyumba said. “I’ve [also] served as a morale captain for the past two HuskyTHONs and hope to do so again next year. HuskyTHON is a great event to see the community come to life in the middle of winter, as so many different organizations come and show their support.”
From listening to new music or having photoshoots with friends, Chinyumba likes to take in the Husky experience in every way he can.
“My favorite part about being a Husky has to be the network overall,” Chinyumba shared. “At the end of my college career, aside from obtaining an education, I’m going to be a part of a community that doesn’t fade away after you step off campus, but one that transcends beyond state lines.”
Hollie Lao is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at hollianne.lao@uconn.edu.
