The Graduate Student Association (GSA) has elected its officers for the 2024-2025 school year, and president Ally Grace McConnell, vice president Kenzie Peshoff, secretary Julianna Quinn, and treasurer Chase Hutchins are excited to get started in their new roles. As the school year gets underway, they're looking forward to building community within GSA, collaborating with other student groups, and starting new traditions for GSA and the Graduate School.

For McConnell, a sense of community within her student group is important, especially post-COVID. "I matriculated at GSBS in 2020, at the height of the virtual era, which left me feeling isolated," she says. She became a student officer to foster the sense of camaraderie she'd always wanted in graduate school.

Hutchins echoes the need for a sense of belonging. "To me, the Graduate Student Association is a way of uniting all the programs in the school into one big community," he says. "It's a way of building connections and creating a healthy and supportive environment for students." As an officer, he hopes to continue building that environment through initiatives like the peer mentoring program, which allows senior students to guide first-years through their transitions to graduate school, as well as fun events like GSA games and socials.

The peer mentoring program is on McConnell's radar as well. As GSA's president, she hopes to add more structured events to the program and give senior mentors additional leadership opportunities. Another initiative she hopes to implement is Grad School Prom. Modeled after the annual celebrations held by the medical and dental schools, Grad School Prom will be a chance for students to come together and have fun. "I hope to plan an event that unites our two institutions to honor our incredible graduate students," she says.

Although McConnell and Hutchins are excited to get started in their student officer positions, they have plenty going on outside of school, too. Hutchins is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and McConnell ran the Chicago Marathon in October 2023. In the process, she raised $2,000 for the Alzheimer's Association in honor of her grandfather. "It was one of the most mentally challenging experiences I've ever had, but I'm incredibly grateful for the support I received throughout the training and the marathon itself," she says. All of the officers are looking forward to a great year of new initiatives, fun events, and building the community in GSA.