[SBA Elections] On Behalf of Payvand Afzali for SBA President
USF SBA Elections
Dear Classmates,
Over the past few days, I have had a chance to meet and talk with many of you. I truly appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts about the future of our law school and listen to some of my ideas. I also know that I have not been able to reach all of you so I want to send a brief message about my vision for SBA and my reasons behind running for SBA President.
Everyone has heard about #144 in the last few weeks. I know that number presents certain challenges for us as current students, but I also know that we can overcome these challenges if we come together with motivation, with positivity, and with hard work in the coming year. If we can do that, that number will be an afterthought. It will be our dedication to our school, our community, and our futures that will stand out above everything else.
Fundamentally, leadership is about vision, and I envision an SBA that honors its traditions by continuing programs and policies that work. But I also believe SBA can and should do more, and that’s why I'm running.
My vision is for SBA to truly be a student-oriented organization that reaches outside of the executive committee to both define and meet its goals. I want an SBA that actively seeks out the opinions of all students and works tirelessly with the student body to achieve our goals. I envision monthly student-only meetings in order to better understand our student body’s concerns. Because our students possess a diverse set of goals, it is imperative that everyone is heard and that all challenges are equally met.
We need the USF network to be stronger than it ever has been before. We need to contact alumni and other practicing attorneys in order to build that support network. This year I was a part of the Alumni Relations Committee, which launched the LinkedIn Mentorship program. It is a great start to building our network, but it is still not enough. We need to secure internship opportunities in offices with USF alumni. We need to hold more networking events with both alumni and other practicing attorney in the Bay Area to broaden our network. This would be my main focus if I am elected.
My focus is on these objectives since they are directly related to the aspects of the ranking system that we, as students, can affect. Employment and Bar Passage numbers are how we can directly influence the rankings starting now. I am a member of our U.S. News and World Report student taskforce that began compiling information regarding our rankings and has started alumni outreach. We are compiling a list of alumni that want to be proactive in guiding our students through these tough times. We will distribute that list to students once we have an array of alumni support. I am meeting with our administration tomorrow (3/28) to share our goals, ask for their help in our endeavors, and demand more active action. I will share all of the information from that meeting with you by the end of the week. Our student taskforce will continue our efforts even if administration is reluctant to help this process along.
We all came to USF in hopes of beginning our legal careers, knowing full well the uphill climb we were facing given the current employment climate. We also came to USF because we knew the community here was wholly different from any other law school we could attend. We cannot let this latest setback deter us from meeting our goals, both individually and collectively. Now is the time to show the entire legal community that we are defined by our aspirations and abilities, and not by any number. Now is the time to demonstrate to alumni, employers, administration, and one another that the USF student body is stronger and more committed than ever before. Now is the time to make ourselves heard, and I would be honored to speak on behalf of each and every one of you as the 2013-2014 SBA President.
From the moment I stepped onto campus the USF student body exceeded all of my expectations. The camaraderie amongst our students is unparalleled. That is what makes us different and that is why we will succeed even in the face of any adversity. You are all absolutely amazing individuals. I truly want to bring us all together, push the administration to adamantly support us, and help each and every one of you before I leave this campus. That is why I am running for SBA President.
Please stop me on campus over the course of the next week. I would love to connect with every one of you before this year comes to a close. Let’s start the discussions that will brighten our futures.
With Sincere Thanks,
Payvand Afzali