berglunds@lopers.unk.edu

Emily Saadi and Zach Zavodny were elected as student body president and vice president after winning the runoff election. Results were announced last Thursday.

Saadi and Zavodny received 465 out of the 901 votes cast in the runoff election against Aidan Weidner and Olivia Koenig.

“Going into the election I was very hopeful we would win and have this opportunity to work to better the lives and education of the students at UNK,” Saadi said. “We are super excited.”

Saadi said she was hopeful but nervous from the beginning of the campaign knowing the other two teams would be competitive. 

“Both of the other teams that ran had very good campaigns and I knew they were both going into it for the same reason I was – to represent UNK and to do the best by the students,” Saadi said. “So, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy win, but it does feel great to have that reassurance that this is what the students want right now.”

Saadi and Zavondy’s campaign points are collective, cooperativeness, transparency, diversity, equity and inclusion, which Saadi wants to emphasize and promote the necessity of. Along with student engagement and involvement, mental health and modernization.

Their first priority is to work on their platform issues. They have until April to get things done before finals week.

Just before inauguration Saadi and Zavodny and their cabinet members were in the works of making connections with deans and vice chancellors so once they are in office they can “be as effective and efficient as possible.”

Saadi and Zavodny attended the Nebraska University Leadership Summit before the runoff. They had discussions with other student leaders from the other NU campuses. 

When leaving the summit Saadi felt very inspired by the potential of everything they could accomplish in the next year.

Saadi and Zavodny will take office March 29. They are taking over for President Noah Limbach and Vice President Tristan Larson.