Ayomide is a Yoruba name that loosely means “my joy has come.” At Cornell Tech, I have been thinking a lot about where that joy comes from. For me, much of it comes from people.
Most of us are here for an incredibly intense one or two years. We naturally build strong relationships within our programs, but Cornell Tech’s greatest advantage is the community across them. I do not think we should leave having only scratched the surface of those connections.
Cornell Tech already does substantial work to welcome incoming students through orientation, Student & Academic Affairs, and student ambassadors. I believe CTSG can complement that by helping students connect to the broader Cornell Tech community earlier and by preserving the knowledge of the students who came before them.
That is why I am running for Professional Co-President.
My first priority is making student government useful earlier. Because many students graduate before the next class arrives, continuity cannot depend on people simply passing knowledge along informally. I want CTSG to preserve key contacts, event histories, funding knowledge, lessons learned, and unfinished initiatives, while working with returning students and Student & Academic Affairs to help incoming students navigate the community from the beginning.
Second, I want us to operate as One Cornell Tech, creating meaningful professional, intellectual, and personal connections across programs while building bridges to alumni and relevant student communities beyond Cornell Tech.
Third, CTSG should be visible and accountable. Students should know what their government is working on, how to raise an issue, who owns it, and what happened next. Major events and initiatives should also be visible earlier so students can plan around a demanding academic calendar and CTSG has more time to pursue partnerships and funding. In a one- or two-year program, learning about an opportunity too late can mean missing it entirely.
Finally, every administration should leave the next one stronger. At Cornell Tech, where so much of the student body turns over each year, institutional memory cannot live only in people. It should live in documented playbooks, relationships, records, and systems that the next administration can inherit and improve.
I have spent much of my career building systems and coordinating people around difficult problems. Leading a student community abroad and helping run a startup taught me that leadership is about listening, setting priorities, bringing the right people together, and building systems that help others succeed.
I am running to help us do more together, and leave Cornell Tech stronger for the people who come next.
One Cornell Tech. From Day One.
