By Christian Stafford

College of Computer and Information Science student’s Caroline McCadden and Joshua Driesman both joined SGA with the same intention — to represent their fellow CCIS peers who have been underrepresented in SGA year after year.

McCadden, a first-year computer science and business major, joined after realizing that that CCIS students did not have many student senators like the other colleges at Northeastern, and she stressed the importance of female representation in student government.

“Something I also noticed was the lack of female senators representing CCIS, and I firmly believe in the importance of equal representation, both as a model for girls who may be considering STEM fields, and as a person, that the women of my college feel comfortable coming to because I can relate to them a bit more than a fully male Senate would,” she said.

The influence that the SGA has among Northeastern and its student body is also something McCadden wanted to express, saying that most students she knows are not even aware of what SGA is or what it accomplishes.

“It’s great to be able to discuss with other colleges the merits of each college and how they help us to feel like a community. It has certainly made me appreciate the close-knit nature of CCIS and given me ideas as to how I may help us to improve in the future,” McCadden said.

Driesman, a third-year computer and information science major, joined SGA with the same mindset as McCadden — to give CCIS students the representation they deserve and need in student government and to teach students that SGA is beneficial to all.

“The folks in SGA are incredibly passionate about what they do and want to help students solve any problems they might have at Northeastern, including issues with academic policy, the dining halls, the library, athletics or any other aspect of the student experience,” Driesman said.

Joining SGA his freshman year, Driesman has made significant progress— this year he was elected to serve as Vice President of Academic Affairs for the 2017-18 academic year.

According to Driesman, there has been a historical lack of CCIS representation in SGA, but he, along with McCadden, would like to change that.

“I think one of the most difficult parts of being a CCIS student in SGA is that we have historically been underrepresented. I was thrilled to see that Caroline had joined and I would like to invite any other CCIS students who are interested to reach out to myself or Caroline about becoming a Senator and or joining a committee,” said Driesman.