During the week of March 23, eight members of the Student Senate and Stacie Behler, vice president and chief Public Affairs and Communications officer, traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for higher education and showcase GVSU’s $3 billion impact.
Evan Jackson, former Student Senate president, reflected on the trip and the importance of structured advocacy.
“We had the wonderful opportunity to bring our leadership team to meet with Michigan's delegation in Washington, D.C.,” Jackson said. “It provided the opportunity to share our personal stories of how higher education as a whole and how GVSU as an institution has impacted us.
“We shared how GVSU continues to impact the state of Michigan, how important the opportunity of higher education is, and how that opportunity wouldn't be afforded to a lot of us without programs like Pell Grants or TRIO.”
At the second Student Senate Leadership trip to Washington, the group visited national landmarks and connected with Nancy Boyd, ’25, a former Student Senate member, and with Michigan's Congressional delegation and their staffs.
“I hope the students took away a sense of the impact that they and their stories can have on these big, national policy spaces, like higher education policy and funding policy,” Behler said.
This trip allowed the senators to advocate for themselves, their school and higher education in general, while providing them a chance to use their skills and knowledge in a professional setting.
Ty Vanlerberghe, former vice president, said: “This trip acted as proof of GVSU's commitment to experiential learning. You have the opportunity to experience something similar to your future career and understand what your future may look like before you enter the workforce.”
– Cass Wainwright is a senior majoring in writing and a student writer for University Communications.
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