Student Government: Vice President is building bridges

By Michael R. Malone[email protected]08-28-2024

Josh Abel left his home state of Connecticut, where "there are probably more animals than people," and his hometown of New Milford, "that's in the middle of nowhere," to travel to Miami and attend the University of Miami.

He was attracted by the exploratory study environment the University offered and the chance to pursue his cornucopia of interests.

"Not only did I want to thrive socially, surrounded by a diverse student body, but I also wanted to take advantage of living in a one-of-a-kind international city with all the career and networking opportunities that Miami offered," said Abel, the new Student Government vice president.

Yet after a few weeks on campus, while walking home, he experienced an epiphany.

"I'd imagined myself getting involved in campus leadership and learning new skills, and yet here I was, just going to class and then heading right back home to Stanford Residential College. 'This feels wrong; this isn't who I am,'" he told himself.

The realization prompted him to join the Student Government First-Year Leadership Council.

"From there I met so many upper-class mentors that pushed me in different directions and got me more involved. They saw something in me that I didn't see in myself at the time and pushed me to be the best leader that I can be at this ripe age of 21," said Abel, a senior pursuing a double major in political science and French, and minoring in music, public advocacy and communication, and law and politics.

In the council, Abel also met and forged a friendship with Roy Carrillo Zamora. The two were major planners for the first LAUNCH Leadership Summit. One of the summit participants was Zoe Mutombo. The three are now "The Big Three," the executive officers for Student Government, with Carrillo Zamora as president, Abel as vice president, and Mutombo as treasurer.

Abel credits his leadership role with his Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity as helping him grow. He's the outgoing president.

"Greek life was never something that I imagined myself joining, yet ultimately I decided to give it a shot because I met so many incredible individuals who were involved in Student Government and also Greek life," Abel noted. "That shifted my image of Greek life-these were individuals who wanted to make a difference and leave their mark on campus in addition to making lasting friendships.

"With so many different personalities all in one room, there's a lot of conflict management involved. So I feel very confident in my ability to listen, navigate challenging conversations and situations, and advocate for other students, those who might not feel represented."

As vice president, one of his priorities will be to help the Greek chapters feel more connected with the University community.

"There's a sense among the chapters that they're not well represented. As an outgoing president of one of them, I'm looking forward to shifting that perception and helping foster better relationships with faculty and administration," he said.

Outgoing by nature, Abel is looking to use his welcoming personality to encourage collaboration that supports cross-functional student government teams. He's set on maintaining an open-door policy.

"There is no door in the first place," he said. "I want to make it that you can come to me whenever you want to-you don't have to find me in my office. I want you to know I'm there with you and able to connect.

"Oftentimes, in terms of leadership, people think of it as a hierarchy. Inevitably there is in terms of skills, but the more we can break down barriers and foster more a circle than a pyramid, we're all learning together, nurturing the next generation of student leaders and keeping the cycle going," Abel said.

Abel especially credited former Student Government chief of staff Andrew Goheen with helping to develop his leadership toolkit.

"I met Drew my freshman year and immediately looked up to him," Abel recalled. "He was wrapping up his presidency and took me under his wing, connecting me with other student leaders and fostering my leadership skills."

In his junior year, the two met weekly for Sunday dinner at a Miracle Mile restaurant.

"Drew's a very selfless person, and he's been a huge mentor to me, someone who has genuinely shaped me into, not only the student leader that I am, but also the man I am," Abel said. "When I look into the mirror, my mindset has become that I need to give back to the next generation of student leaders and return the favor."