From experience to impact: Student Union President Rani Balakrishna ’25

Brandeis Stories

From experience to impact: Student Union President Rani Balakrishna '25

November 12, 2024

Student Union president Rani Balakrishna '25 is majoring in politics and minoring in journalism, Hispanic studies, and Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx studies. She spoke to Brandeis Stories about her leadership role in student government.

Why did you want to become the Brandeis Student Union president?

This is my fourth year in the Student Union. Around the middle of junior year, I realized I had so much experience with Student Union that I could really use that power to create change, implement projects, get student input, and help students out. And no matter what career path I take, I want to help people. I saw this leadership position as a really great advocacy role and something that I thought I had these qualifications for.

Did you have leadership roles before becoming Student Union president?

In high school I co-founded the South Asian Student Association, and I was also president of an Indian-American youth group. In my senior year, I was a class rep to the high school student government. That was a jumping-off point for me.

I'm also a proud member of the Brandeis varsity softball team, which has really helped me. Working with my teammates, understanding that they have my back. There's that kind of loyalty and commitment that we all bring to the table. And that made my confidence grow not only as a player and as a person, but as a leader.

"When you see someone in a leadership position who looks like you, it really makes a difference."

I also advocated for equity with the softball team and won an Athletic Director's award for that. And so that recognition made me really happy and I realized that I could impact a lot of people continuing in leadership roles.

When the time came to consider what I'd be doing my senior year with the Student Union, I leaned into being president.

What clubs and organizations are you involved in at Brandeis?

In addition to playing on the varsity softball team, I'm the media coordinator for the Student Athletes of Color. I was the sports editor of The Justice my junior year, and I am working with other student-athletes to bring a chapter of Athlete Ally, a group promoting queer inclusion within sports, to Brandeis.

So how do you juggle athletics with being a Student Union president?

This is a great question - one that I'm asking myself right now! I rely heavily on my calendar to keep me up to date and organized, and softball is my outlet from the more stressful parts of being the president of the Student Union.

Describe some initiatives the Student Union will be taking on this academic year.

Vice president Ria Escamilla-Gil '27 and I want to get multicultural hair products into the C-store. And we're hoping to do turkey shuttles again this year to take students from Brandeis to Logan Airport and South Station.

"It's the people who make this campus special, and I want to help as much as I can."

We're meeting with a lot of administrators in Student Affairs, with Dean Shoulson, with Academic affairs, with the ICC, the Office of DEI, and Center for Spiritual Life. I'm hoping to maintain these relationships and provide student input to all of them because they would be a really valuable part of the Student Union.

As a leader, how do you create an inclusive and welcoming environment?

One thing I'm really excited about this year is that both Ria and I are queer people of color. People can say all they want that you can do whatever you want, but when you see someone in a leadership position who looks like you, it really makes a difference.

How do you manage expectations from the student body?

Making the whole Student Union and myself accessible makes people realize that we're human. And we're also students. And on top of that, I'm a student athlete.

When you get requests or inquiries from students, how do you know what to prioritize?

I think chronologically, and ask whether the request is urgent. I honestly wish that students would come to us with more feedback, as we have the power to address big and small issues on campus, and can direct students to go to the right department or office. And as time goes on, it gets easier to delegate work within the Student Union.

What advice would you give a student looking to get involved in the Student Union?

Don't restrict yourself. What you put in, you get out. If you want to work on sustainability projects, you could absolutely work on sustainability. If you want to focus on work on campus life, meet with dining, and give feedback directly to Brandeis Hospitality. If you want to meet directly with administrators, think about applying to be on the executive board.

I think we're cool. We are fun people to be around. You can do whatever you set your mind to. I take deep pride in being president of the Student Union. I think it's an honor, and I do it for these kinds of moments that make me feel recognized and seen. I care for the people around campus. It's the people who make this campus special, and I want to help as much as I can.