Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) Executive Members
This spotlight showcases some of the outgoing, incoming, and returning executive members of the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA). These students have dedicated - or will dedicate - countless hours to supporting and enhancing all aspects of the graduate student experience. Thank you for all of your amazing work!
Hannah Morin (she/her)
Outgoing President
Program: PhD, Engineering and Public Policy + Materials Science and Engineering
Hometown: Pennington, New Jersey
How did serving as a GSA executive member impact your graduate experience?
Serving as a member of GSA exec has provided me with a much more detailed understanding of how a university works. I have always been interested in being a professor but was never sure if I was up to the task. Being exposed to the administrative side has shown me that I could very well be up to the task.
Hunter Wood (he/him)
Outgoing VP, Academic Affairs
Program: PhD, Chemistry
Hometown: Walnut Creek, California
How did serving as a GSA executive member impact your graduate experience?
This role was crucial to my graduate student experience; it showed me that - despite how students sometimes feel - the administration really does value student feedback, and is committed to leveraging the student experience to make meaningful change on campus. Over the past year, it has been very rewarding to see how my involvement shaped university decisions.
Byron Abraham Daniel (he/him)
Outgoing VP, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
Program: PhD, Physics
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
What's your favorite GSA memory?
If I had to pick one, it would probably be the night that I spent guarding the Fence with Hannah Morin and Kyle Hynes so that we could paint a message of compassion and unity on it the following day. It was very tiring, but I was still happy because the three of us and the rest of GSA and Senate executives were able to help our fellow students during such a difficult time for many.
Mary Anna Ebbert (she/her)
President
Program: PhD, Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
What impact do you hope to make as a GSA executive member?
As the president of GSA, I hope to help all grad students feel seen and heard no matter what their experiences are and continue to build a strong community where everyone feels welcome and supported.
Luis Garcia (he/him)
VP, Academic Affairs
Program: PhD, Design
Hometown: Cuenca, Ecuador
Tell us about a significant moment in your journey at CMU.
I always enjoy the PhD defenses of my colleagues in the Transition Design program. I am always inspired and learn so much from my colleagues, so it is always gratifying whenever I have the chance to see the culmination of their PhD journey.
Anthony Cheng (he/him)
VP, Campus Affairs
Program: PhD, Engineering and Public Policy
Hometown: Sandy, Utah
What's your favorite GSA memory?
Giving the welcome speech to all incoming grad students on behalf of the previous GSA president during Fall 2023 orientation!
Preom Sarkar (she/her)
VP, Internal Affairs
Program: PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Hometown: Hatfield, Pennsylvania
How has serving as a GSA executive member impacted your graduate experience?
As a PhD student, I'm not really a fan of group projects, but it's been really rewarding to work with other highly motivated graduate students to enact and lobby for changes that benefit the graduate student population. It's also a fantastic creative release for me since I like creating and executing (silly) event ideas that make people smile.
Zia Lyle (she/her)
VP, External Affairs
Program: PhD, Engineering and Public Policy
Hometown: Austin, Texas
What's your favorite GSA memory?
My favorite GSA experiences have been attending Legislative Advocacy Days, in which a group of graduate students travel to Washington, DC, or Harrisburg, PA, to advocate for policies that help address graduate student needs. These trips are really valuable experiences; I've been able to learn more about the legislative processes that determine laws and policies while also forming close relationships with graduate students outside my department. Sharing our graduate student experience with lawmakers helps improve the quality of life for graduate students, and it positions CMU as a leader in policy advocacy.
Nihar Pathak (she/her)
Vice President, Finance
Program: PhD, Architecture-Engineering-Construction Management (AECM)
Hometown: Nashik MH, India
How has serving as a GSA executive member impacted your graduate experience?
I originally joined FinComm to quench my curiosity about how money flows and how our activities fee is being utilized. Over the years, I have worked with various GSA executives on implementing measures to attain transparency when it comes to finances. I aim to continue creating more platforms for the graduate community to have access to information about how the money is being utilized to enhance their graduate life experience.
Aditya Khandelwal (he/him)
Vice President, Graduate Student Life
Program: Master's, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Hometown: Akola, India
What impact do you hope to make as a GSA executive member?
My goals for the academic year are to increase GSA's engagement across campus, create new events catered to a large population revolving around specific themes, increase community engagement at CMU, and REALLY MAKE PEOPLE HAVE SOME FUN (cause CMU Grads need that for real!). Apart from this, I am proactively working to influence policy in some domains of student life, which will drastically improve the student experience on campus.