Executive Board
Hardik Bhaskar
President
he/him
Hardik Bhaskar is a senior, majoring in Biochemistry, aspiring to become a pediatrician. He is also part of the Hunter College Men’s Track and Field Team. As President of USG, his goal is to create a closer-knit community and make sure student voices are heard. Hardik plans to be the bridge between the students and administration to ensure communication during this troubling time. He plans to advocate for students and put students first. While keeping Hunter traditions alive and embodying the phrase “Mihi Cura Futuri” he aims in using the virtual platform to his advantage to provide support for peers, safe spaces for student discussions, and a place for students to thrive.
email: hardik.bhaskar@hunterusg.org
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardik-bhaskar-82a505170/
Raisa Karim
Vice President
she/her
Raisa Karim is a senior majoring in Biochemistry and Thomas Hunter Honors. She became involved with student government in her freshman year as an ambassador, served as a freshman senator during her sophomore year and then as senate chair her junior year. By actively listening to students and working with them to address their concerns, she hopes to promote civic literacy, awareness and engagement among the undergraduate population. Please feel free to reach out to her throughout the year!
email: raisa.karim@hunterusg.org
Elise Wang
Finance Commissioner
she/her
Elise Wang is a senior majoring in Biology and minoring in Public Policy. Last year, she served as the Finance Commissioner and during her sophomore year, she served as a Sophomore Senator and co-lead the Students Stand Up Campaign against Sexual Assault and the Mental Health Awareness Initiative. Feel free to contact her about club budgets, upcoming USG events, and anything Hunter related!
email: elise.wang@hunterusg.org
Kayla Benjamin
External Affairs Commissioner
she/her
Kayla Benjamin is a sophomore
majoring in Political Science and minoring in Japanese Language. She is also a part of the Thomas Hunter Honors Program and Chinese Flagship Program. She is a part of Haitian Students Association (HSA), the Anime Club and is a Student Ambassador (SA) for Office of Admissions. In USG she has served under the Ambassador Program, and previously as the External Affairs Commissioner. As she continues this role, Kayla hopes to engage more with students this year through the various USG social media, as well as in open groups that students themselves create for each other. She will be serving additionally as one of the University Student Senate (USS) Delegates this year. As she aspires to make Hunter a welcoming place for incoming, current & transfer students, she is always available for contact through email, social media, or text. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or would just like to chat!
email: kayla.benjamin@hunterusg.org
Mayar Safwat
Student Welfare Commissioner
she/her
Mayar Safwat is a senior majoring in Biochemistry, minoring in Music and on the pre-medicinal track. She desires to be a Pediatric Emergency Physician. She first became a part of the Undergraduate Student Government in the start of her junior year as an Ambassador and it excited her innate drive to not only better herself but her community that surrounds her as well. Her goal as now Student Welfare/Academic Affairs Commissioner is to listen to what the students need, what can better their college experience as a whole and to become a bridge between administration and students. She cares for the relationships uniting her peers and wants to see others succeed alongside her. Aside from USG, she is a part of the Minority Association for Pre-Health Students, the Student Farmworker Alliance, a TA for General Chemistry, and does genetics research in the Primate Molecular Ecology Lab. Durning her free time, she loves to practice her flute, vocals and piano, listen to music, spend time outdoors and finding new coffee shops to try. Feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns!
email: mayar.safwat@hunterusg.org
Priyal Thakkar
Cultural Affairs Commissioner
she/her
Priyal Thakkar is a junior majoring in Bioinformatics and minoring in Music with aspirations of becoming a physician. Having been a student at Hunter for two years and a member of USG for one, she has gotten to see the pivotal role that clubs play in making the student experience. Since Hunter is predominantly a commuter school, many students find their homes here within clubs. As Cultural Affairs Commissioner, she hopes to act as a bridge between students and USG to ensure that clubs can continue to act as spaces of comfort this semester despite the shift to primarily online learning.
email: priyal.thakkar@hunterusg.org
Kiran Javaid
Evening Affairs Commissioner
she/her
Kiran Javaid is a senior in the Yalow Scholars Program, aspiring to become a physician. She is majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Women and Gender. Studies, aspiring to be a physician. Kiran has been involved in USG since her freshman year at Hunter and was involved in student government throughout high school as well. Kiran has volunteered at various hospitals throughout high school and her undergraduate career, such as Mt. Sinai, SUNY Downstate Medical Center , and NYP Brooklyn Methodist, in order to gain exposure to her field of interest. As Evening Affairs Commissioner, Kiran hopes to create a lively community for her fellow students to help out with some of the struggles in attending a commuter school. After completing her undergraduate career, Kiran hopes to attend medical school, and one day travel the world offering her services to people in developing countries in need.
email: kiran.javaid@hunterusg.org
Rafael Garcia
Residence Life Commissioner
he/him
Rafael Garcia is a freshman majoring in Economics and Public Policy, and is Residence Life Commissioner for the 2020-2021 academic year. He has served previously in student leadership, with the primary responsibility of social outreach. With experience in trying to bridge the communication gap between a student governing body and the Hunter student body, he will continue to dedicate those efforts to create a sense of community between Brookdale and the rest of the Hunter community. In addition, as a Brookdale resident, he is aware of the needs of the residents and will tailor to them accordingly! This aside, you can always hit him up with any questions, concerns, or anything related to Hunter, Brookdale, or other issues.
email: rafael.garcia@hunterusg.org
Alexis Fisher
Senate Chair / Senior Senator
she/her
Alexis Fisher is a senior at Hunter College studying political science, Chinese language, Asian American studies, and Human Rights. She is an Eva Kasten Grove Fellow at the Roosevelt House, Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women (JFEW) Scholar, Thomas Hunter Honors Program scholar, and Ibrahim Student Leadership and Dialogue Middle East Program Fellow at Queens College. Art is a big part of her life and at Hunter she is an Office of the Arts, Arts Ambassador and at the Metropolitan Museum, a Met Collective member. In USG, she will serve as the 2020-2021 Senate Chair and one of the University Student Senate Delegates. Alexis is passionate about equity, structural change, and implementation. In her free time, she runs, paints, reads, and cooks dinner with her friends. Feel free to reach out!
email: alexis.fisher@hunterusg.org
Senate
Ismael Ali
Senior Senator
he/him
Ismael Ali Moussa is a senior at hunter college majoring in political science with a double minor in sociology and human rights. Ismael is part of the African student union, the African Mistik motion dance team and a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity incorporated. As a senior Senator, Ismael hopes to advocate for the needs and concerns of student population, and represent the student body by bringing the gap between the student and faculties. Ismael speaks 5 language including but not limited to French, Zarma, Hausa, and English.
email: ismael.ali@hunterusg.org
Laura Alvim
Senior Senator
she/her
Laura Alvim is an upcoming Junior (Senior in terms of credits) who is majoring in Biological Sciences in the BA/MA program with a concentration in Biotechnology. She is also a Special Honors major in the Thomas Hunter Honors Program and a Dance minor. Laura is an International Student that moved from Belo Horizonte, Brazil to NYC when she was 16 years old. She graduated from Manhattan Hunter Science High School where she got to spend her senior year at Hunter College taking college courses as part of their Early College Initiative. She has been at Hunter since then (Fall 2017). At Hunter, Laura is a Lead Mentor in the Yalow Scholars community, the Treasurer of the Global Surgery Student Alliance Club, and a tennis player in the Women's Tennis Team. She has also been an Ambassador for the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students (MAPS) and a peer TA for Organic Chemistry. She is in the pre-med track and aspires to become a surgeon. In her free time, Laura loves to dance, watch tons of TV shows on Netflix, play with her 2 cats, go out to eat, and hang out with her friends.
email: laura.alvim@hunterusg.org
Chelsea Yu
Senior Senator
she/her
Chelsea Yu is a junior majoring in Chemistry and part of the Chinese Flagship community. In the future, she hopes to be able to travel the world. At school, she is part of oSTEM at Hunter College and Peer Health Exchange, as she is passionate about student outreach and education. As Senior Senator, she hopes to be able to engage with Hunter students and allow student voices be heard, especially during these unusual times.
email: chelsea.yu@hunterusg.org
Devashish Basnet
Junior Senator
he/him
Devashish (Dave) Basnet ’22 is an Eva Kastan Grove Fellow, Jeanette K.Watson Fellow, Phyllis L. Kossoff Scholar, Thomas Hunter Scholar and Roosevelt Scholar who grew up in Nepal. He looks forward to a life of public service, or law perhaps as a human rights attorney. He is majoring in Political Science and pursuing a Human Rights Certificate alongside minors in Public Policy, International Relations, and Music. As a recent intern for the International Rescue Committee, he gained experience in work that benefits asylum seekers and refugees, and currently serves as a lead student organizer for the Student/Farmworker Alliance, a national organization that works to protect the rights of migrant farmworkers in the U.S. agriculture industry. This past summer he worked as a Human Rights Legal Fellow at Justice Centre Hong Kong, a policy and legal services oriented organization serving asylum-seekers and broader migration policy implementation. As an active student on campus, Dave sings as a Baritone with the Macaulay Triplets, competes with the Hunter Model United Nations team, serves on the Roosevelt House Student Advisory Board, and is one of this year’s University Student Senate (USS) Delegate alternates. He is thrilled to serve as a Junior Senator, and promises to uplift historically marginalized voices in every action he takes.
email: devashish.basnet@hunterusg.org
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devashish-basnet-263b12150/
Monira Hasan
Junior Senator
she/her
Monira Hasan is a Senior Yalow Scholar majoring in psychology, aspiring to obtain a PsyD in clinical psychology. During her time at Hunter College, she volunteered at multiple hospitals, nursing homes, and labs, including Morgan Stanley's Children's Hospital as a Child Life and Pediatric ED volunteer as well as a volunteer for the Preuss Lab at Hunter College. Currently, she serves as an extern for NYU's Family Translational Research Group (FTRG) and as Treasurer for UNICEF Initiative at Hunter College. Aside from academics, she enjoys working out, playing music, and watching movies. As Junior Senator, she plans to advocate for students who are not provided with the platform to do so themselves and encourage students and various clubs to come together to address many of the issues we are all facing such as systemic racism, especially now.
email: monira.hasan@hunterusg.org
Hannah Kavanagh
Junior Senator
she/her
Hannah Kavanagh is a junior majoring in history and media with a concentration in journalism and minoring in Arabic language. In the past, she has participated in advocacy work through the Hunter for Bernie initiative back in 2018 and as a journalism and communications intern at the Fortune Society, which advocates for criminal justice reform. She also started her own podcast called Tea For Three in her makeshift recording studio/dorm room at the Brookdale Residence Hall in 2019. As a first-time member of both USG and the USS as an alternate delegate, Hannah hopes to implement more advocacy work into the realm of student government at both Hunter and CUNY through collaborating with and promoting the work of student activist groups on-campus--as well as forging a stronger sense of community and camaraderie amongst the Hunter student body. With that being said, she is always available to chat via e-mail, phone, or text. So feel free to reach out to her if you have any questions about anything or even if you would just like to chat.
email: hannah.kavanagh@hunterusg.org
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-kavanagh-89a056154/
Salwa Najmi
Junior Senator
she/her
Salwa Najmi is a junior at Hunter College studying Biochemistry and Arabic Language and Culture and she serves as Junior Senator. Salwa began her service in USG as a student ambassador, and was later elected onto the Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee. Salwa is committed to bettering the experiences of Hunter College students, by serving as a voice and liaison for the undergraduate student body. She hopes to foster a greater sense of community at Hunter, while also working to address the needs and concerns of students by maximizing access to resources. Salwa is an aspiring physician and seeks to serve underrepresented communities in medicine.
email: salwa.najmi@hunterusg.org
Roshna Ansari
Sophomore Senator
she/her
Roshna Ansari is a junior majoring in Political Science and minoring in Legal Studies. She is also doing a concentration in Spanish hoping to advance her language skills. She is secretary of the Pre-Law Society and a member of Project Sunshine, Unicef, the South Asian Culture Club and the Muslim Student Association . This is Roshna first year in USG but she has many plans to help the students have a better experience at Hunter. Roshna is always available for any Pre-Law or general club questions through her email, social media or text. Do not hesitate to contact her.
email: roshna.ansari@gmail.com
Olenka Ballena
Sophomore Senator
she/her
Olenka Ballena is a junior on the pre-law track pursuing a Public Policy Certificate and majoring in English Literature with a minor in legal studies. She's currently serving as Sophomore Senator, and she's excited to developing ideas to keep students engaged and informed, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Born and raised in Queens, she understands how important diversity truly is, and she's looking forward to cultivating a diverse and more inclusive community at Hunter College.
email: olenka.ballena@hunterusg.org
Lizeth Flores
Sophomore Senator
she/her
Lizeth Flores is a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry and planning on doing a minor in Psychology. She is interested in medicine and is on the premed track. Currently, Lizeth volunteers at Elmhurst hospital in a geriatric care unit helping patients have a less stressful hospital stay. She has also been involved with premed clubs such as Hunter MAPS where she was an ambassador during her freshman year. Her main goal as a sophomore senator is to strengthen the communication between USG and the student body to provide a better undergraduate experience. She hopes to continue collaborating with others to provide the best possible representation of the student body.
email: lizeth.flores@hunterusg.org
Afsana Rahman
Sophomore Senator
she/her
Afsana Rahman is a Sophomore Senator majoring in Computer Science-Bioinformatics with a minor in Public Policy. She is also part of the Yalow Honors Cohort. She first got involved with USG by joining the Ambassador Program in freshman year to give back to Hunter’s community and assist USG in hosting successful events. In her new position, she hopes to foster close relationships between student leaders and the student body to help address their interests and concerns. She is excited to meet and work with you all!
email: afsana.rahman@hunterusg.org
Hira Khan
Freshman Senator
she/her
Hira Khan is a sophomore majoring in psychology on the pre-med track. She is the president of Hunter Circle K and freshman senator of USG, currently she is doing a law internship to diversify her background. She is also a social justice activist. Issues she is personally most passionate about are women's rights and gender discrimination.
email: hira.khan@hunterusg.org
Alexander Marquez
Freshman Senator
he/him
Alexander Marquez is a sophomore that is part of the Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing. He is also part of Hunters cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams. This will be his first year as a part of USG, but hopes to make Hunter a safe space for everyone. Alex is available to talk to through social media or email. Don't hesitate to ask any questions or stop by to just chat.
Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation
Rodela Ahmed
Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation
she/her
Rodela Ahmed is a senior majoring in Biology. She joined USG to become more involved with the student body and hopefully make an impact. She is part of UNICEF and Global Surgery Student Alliance (GSSA). The mission of UNICEF is to educate, advocate, and fundraise for the children of the world. The mission of GSSA is to highlight the importance of access to safe and timely surgery as a global health issue, and advocate for sustainable and affordable healthcare and surgery worldwide. Feel free to reach out if you're interested and want to learn more about any of the above.
email: rodela.ahmed@hunterusg.org
Yostina Girgis
Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation
she/her
Yostina Girgis is a sophomore majoring in Behavioral Neurobiology, is on the pre-med track, and is working towards her certificate in Human Rights. She also serves as outreach manager of NAMI on Campus. She is committed to improving the welfare of Hunter students, and creating opportunities for students to explore and find their niche. She is a supporter and deep lover of the arts: music, theater, visual art — you name it. When she's not busy crying over Bio 102, you can catch her enjoying the fine delicacies that NYC has to offer (but not in this pandemic), indulging in too many episodes of Law and Order, and getting a good laugh out of her favorite comedians' shows. Although only at Hunter for one year, she has already learned so much and is willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who reaches out to her. Or you can just strike up a conversation with her — the more friends, the merrier!
email: yostina.girgis@hunterusg.org
Awaiss Mazhar
Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation
he/him
Awaiss Mazhar is a senior majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Political Science and is on the pre-med track. He is Vice President of the South Asian Cultural Club. It is a student organization aimed at spreading south Asian culture through festive events throughout the years. Awaiss joined USG this year as an Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation officer for a desire to see change and improvement in the school. Awaiss wants to promote physical and mental health for all students and aspires to make Hunter a place we always wanted it to be. He is available through any social media platform and email so don't hesitate to reach out.
email: awaiss.mazhar@hunterusg.org
College Association
Sonia Hafeez
College Association
she/her
Sonia Hafeez is a senior majoring in Human Biology. She is in the Macaulay Honors Program and hopes to attend medical school next year. At Hunter, Sonia has been a TA and a mentor and participates in various student clubs. Outside of school, Sonia works in a medical office and does research in the Radiology Department of NYU Langone. She also enjoys volunteering as a Crisis Text Line counselor and an animal volunteer. In her free time, Sonia likes to game, swim, and eat good food with friends!
email: sonia.hafeez@hunterusg.org
Stephanie Melendez
College Association
she/her
Stephanie Melendez, Class of 2021, is a student at the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. She is on the pre-medical track majoring in biology. Stephanie enjoys being a third-year Macaulay at Hunter peer mentor and a second-year peer mentor for the Hunter College Pre-Health Mentoring Initiative. She has conducted research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center since her freshman year. She also volunteers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. She looks forward to serving the Hunter College community as a part of the College Association for the Hunter College Undergraduate Student Government. Upon completion of her undergraduate studies, Stephanie intends to pursue a career in medicine to further her knowledge of biological sciences and apply that knowledge in a clinical setting; she also aspires to continue conducting cancer research.
Kinza Nayab
College Association
she/her
Kinza Nayab is a junior majoring in Accounting and aspires to be a successful Certified Public Accountant in the near future. She is currently a part of the External Committee of the Accounting Society at Hunter College. Kinza has recently completed the Gateway to Professional Accounting Success program in which she was chosen as the final 20 students to participate based on her academic success. Kinza also volunteers with the New York Cares organization to help those who are less fortunate by providing resume and mock interview related services so that everyone can work towards a bright future. She acknowledges all the difficulties that students have faced in these unfortunate circumstances cased by the pandemic. Kinza wants to make sure every student she interacts with feels that their voice is being heard. She strives to do her part in making Hunter College a friendly and warm environment, even through this new virtual reality.
email: kinza.nayab@hunterusg.org
Murad Razzak
College Association
he/him
Murad Razzak is a senior majoring Biochemistry while studying in the Pre-Med track. His goal is to become an Endocrinologist one day. Out of academics, Murad loves to play soccer, learn different types of martial arts, read and travel around the city. Murad is also the president of MAPS, a pre-medical club, at Hunter College. In USG, Murad is a College Association Commissioner and his job is to facilitate the spending of the student activity fee.
email: murad.razzak@hunterusg.org
Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee
Ayah Ahmad
Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee
she/her
Ayah Ahmad is a sophomore majoring in Biochemistry with an intended double minor in Arabic Studies and Human Rights. She is passionate about community work and improving the overall college experience at Hunter academically and socially. As an FSDC member, she works to promote a safe and inclusive environment at Hunter and advocates for fair due process on behalf of the student body.
email: ayah.ahmad@hunterusg.org
Qurrahtulain Ashfaq
Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee
she/her
Qurrahtulain Ashfaq is a pre-med student here at Hunter College. She is majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Psychology. She is also part of SACC, South Asian Culture Club & UNICEF.
D'Artagnan Fernandez
Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee
he/him
D’Artagnan is new to USG; this is his senior year. He is majoring in Studio Art. He is very excited to be a part of this organization, learn new things, and help in any way that he can.
email: d'artagnan.fernandez@hunterusg.org
David Guber
Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee
he/him
David Guber is a rising senior majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in dance. He is also on the pre-health track, aiming to pursue an MD/PhD upon graduation. He is interested in the intersection of science and the arts as they relate to health and wellbeing. Furthermore, he is passionate about mentoring and education. He is constantly advocating others to be conscious of their mental health, and to always keep an optimum level of stress (yes, some stress can actually be positive). He hopes to improve the communication between student and faculty, as he believes that this can lead to a more engaged and aware society. Another goal he has is to make Hunter more than just a “commuter school”. He wants to create a social atmosphere, especially during this time of hardship. He aims to use the diversity each individual to contribute to the unity of the overall Hunter College community.
email: david.guber@hunterusg.org
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-guber-a34b12187/
Zara Nadeem
Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee
she/her
Zara Nadeem is a sophomore, majoring in biology and minoring in political science and pursuing the pre-medical track under the Yalow Honors Scholars Program. During her freshman year, she has been involved in a variety of activities that she’s passionate about, from volunteering at a hospital, conducting clinical research, helping out underserved communities with free heart screenings, to being an ambassador for the undergraduate student government. She is excited to take on a new role as member of FSDC, that will allow her to continue to serve the student's needs. Zara will make sure student's voices and concerns are heard by being a liaison between students and the undergraduate student government and will make sure Hunter’s academic policies are properly implemented and followed.
email: zara.nadeem@hunterusg.org
Srinidhi Rao
Faculty Student Disciplinary Committee
she/her
Srinidhi Rao is a senior at Hunter College- starting her last semester. She is majoring in Media Studies with a concentration in TV Production. She is minoring in Film and Classical Studies. She is also Vice President of The Olivetree Review, Hunter College’s literary and arts magazine. She hopes to be a fair advocate for students and be someone people can come to to see what Hunter College has to offer for extracurriculars and finding friends.
email: srinidhi.rao@hunterusg.org