Albert Tanjaya for PresidentHello, my name is Albert Ekaputera Tanjaya and I am a Junior majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Comparative Politics, and an Asian Studies Certificate. At Pitt, my current involvement includes being a Student Government Board Member, the Vice President of External Affairs for the Asian Students Alliance, and the Campus Events Chair for the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity.
My story starts out in Indonesia and how I got to Pitt was by pure chance. My family and I immigrated to the United States as asylum seekers from religious persecution. Being in an alien country with no starting foot aside from a small Indonesian Church community was difficult. What resources did we have to start a new life? What skills did my parents have to offer to be able to join the job force? That answer eventually became food. My mom and dad went to work in the food industry to sustain our next years in the States and haven’t strayed. To this day, they operate a food cart in the heart of Philadelphia for 16 years. This mostly all thanks to a few friends in the community who had knowledge of navigating life in the community. Growing up, the community was all I had. It was where I made my friends, my education, and my hobbies. Growing up, wealth was not a resource we could rely on consistently. It was resources from our community and friends that became an integral part of our lives. My decision to run for student government comes from my personal belief of giving back, of repaying a debt owed to the communities and support systems that led me and nurtured me here. I do not believe that my work is done on the Board. Pitt is unique to me because three years ago, first semester freshmen year, I was on the verge of transferring because I could not find my community or at least the resources to propel me to thrive. That is my goal and vision for the Student Government Board. I wish for it to become the centralized resource for students to be able to connect with the university. Navigating Pitt is already hard enough to do, let’s make a tangible effort to make it easier. Visibility is one area I wish to improve within SGB. To start, I would like for us to have office hours in public areas like Towers Lobby, the Quad on warmer days, and to have SGB presence known in common areas. It is a great way for us to be approachable to students. I would also like to strengthen our relationship with The Pitt News as well as other media outlets to also further increase outreach to students in order to showcase the work we do. Hail to Pitt! |