As her term is coming to an end, Student Body President Jess Errico, a fifth-year studying mechanical and aerospace engineering, is preparing to pass the torch to the 99th session President.

Errico has been involved with Student Government for all five years that she has attended NC State. She decided to apply for Student Government after seeing an advertisement for the University’s Conduct Board during the fall semester of her first year.

“I was attracted to the critical thinking, the intentional questing-asking, and the dedication to upholding academic integrity that the University’s Conduct Board offered,” Errico stated. “So I thought that I would apply and see if it was the right fit for me, and it certainly was.”

After four years of being involved in Student Government, Errico decided to run for Student Body President.

“My time on the Conduct Board was spent interacting with students after something critical had happened in their life, and they were coming to the board for a hearing typically; I enjoyed working with students to make that process more clear and not quite so unfamiliar,” Errico said. “I wanted to focus on doing things prior to students coming to the Conduct Board, so advocating for the student experience and recognizing that there are a multitude of factors that go into how students do both academically, professionally and personally in their whole life and across the board.”

Student Body Vice President Meredith Spence Beaulieu, a Ph.D. student in entomology, has been involved with Student Government for two years and has enjoyed her time spent as an advocate for graduate students.

Spence Beaulieu and Errico had not known each other for long when they decided to campaign together. However, after discussing priorities and goals, they found that they would be a great team.

“I think it was really good that it wasn’t like two best friends deciding to run together, because a lot of times if you try to work with close friends you can end up butting heads a little,” Spence Beaulieu said. “So I think it was great that we were able to start off on a professional footing and then build a friendship over the course of the year. I think that really contributed to us being able to work well together throughout the entirety of our term.”

Errico and Spence Beaulieu’s administration has been responsible for a multitude of projects, including the Title IX Action Group, the Student Wellness Department and childcare resource availability. However, Errico is most proud of her work done with Pack Meal Share.

“[Pack Meal Share] is Jess’ brain child,” Spence Beaulieu said. “This is a great project because it’s so meaningful, particularly in light of the Housing and Food Insecurity Studies that were done on campus.”

Isabelle Babson, a fourth-year student studying psychology and sociology and the executive assistant for Student Government, is also the chairman for the Title IX Action Group that Errico helped form. She feels that Errico has made an impact on the school by making students feel like their voices are being heard.

“She reaches out to students, instead of just waiting for students to come to her,” Babson stated.

Mitchell Smith Moravec, a graduate student in public administration, is the director for the Student Wellness Department that Errico helped create. Moravec feels that Errico and Spence Beaulieu have done a great job of making practical promises and goals.

“I got to see [Jess] and Meredith execute a reasonable platform of reasonable goals,” Moarvec said. “I think that kind of set the tone for the whole year: That they wanted to promise things that they could actually achieve.”

Errico feels that she has gained a lot from being a member of Student Government and has especially learned a lot through her role as President.

“I will take from this experience lessons on how to be an effective advocate, how to think creatively and challenge your team to think creatively about solutions to problems,” Errico stated.

Errico is also very grateful to everyone she has worked with this year, and she is very thankful for all of the help and support she has received from her fellow Student Government members.

“I am incredibly thankful for the team,” Errico said. “[Spence Beaulieu] has been a phenomenal Vice President and has been a huge piece of the successes of this administration. And also every single one of our directors and cabinet members and department members have been working and sharing the load of working on so many projects at one time. So I am incredibly thankful for everyone who has made this administration a priority and working towards its successes and helping us learn from its failures.”

As the 98th session comes to an end, Errico, Spence Beaulieu and the rest of the administration are continuing to work on important projects and hope to create a smooth transition into the next session.

More information about Student Government can be found on its website.