Hello everyone, my name is Anna Baumeister, your 20/21 Student Government Association President. On behalf of SGA, we hope you have had a fantastic first few weeks of class and have started to experience what makes our school great.

While you are at Columbia to practice your craft, you are also here to connect and grow with your fellow creatives. Columbia is rooted in collaboration and thrives when its students come together. Collaboration looks a little different right now. We can’t meet in the way we are used to, and I know first-hand how scary and uncomfortable it can be, but as a community, we must adapt to the new way of connecting. I remember starting my freshman year, alone, in the Dwight after moving from Florida. I was scared, and I had no idea how I was going to make friends. One way I developed my connections was by joining the student government as a senator. Being a part of a group guided and helped me to make friends, I never would have met. Now, after three years at Columbia, I am so glad I took the risk of joining a club because it made me find my voice. Columbia has so many diverse ways to connect with fellow students, such as student organizations, to highlight your talents and virtual events that connect you with different majors. There are so many opportunities to meet someone new at Columbia, just in a non-traditional way.

As students, we encourage you all to invest in yourself by connecting with fellow creatives, attending virtual events and joining groups that match your unique interests. We are so excited for you to continue your journey here, and we want you all to know that you are not alone. You are now a member of the Columbia community, and we are all here for you.

You can email me directly at sgapresident@colum.edu or follow us on Instagram @columbiasga. You can also reach out to our Vice President, Kevin Herrera sgavicepresident@colum.edu. If you want to chat with friendly faces virtually, come to our senate meetings Tuesdays at 5pm to have your voice be heard.

Let us help you find your voice and make your mark. We’re here for you, student to student, so let’s have a great semester, we’ve got this!

Anna Baumeister ‘22