Hi everyone! My name is Phillip Gao and I’m running to be your next Engineering Representative for the Undergraduate Assembly. I currently serve in multiple leadership roles here at Penn, including as Engineering Student Activities Council Vice-President and UA Steering Committee representative. If elected, I plan on putting forth initiatives that address student needs. I’ll advocate for group study rooms in the new engineering buildings, centralize the club recruiting process to reduce student stress, and establish strong connections with alumni to provide networking opportunities for current students. I’d appreciate your support in making this change. So act now, vote for Gao.
All information on voting can be found on pennstudgov.com. Voting will open on Thursday, March 30th at 9 PM and will close on Tuesday, April 4th at 11:59 PM.
As the Vice President of the Engineering Student Activities Council (ESAC), I've overseen 36 constituent engineering clubs and planned multiple school-wide activities.
Serving in this role has given me firsthand experience in managing budgets, communicating with club leaders, and working with the engineering administration to improve the students' extracurricular experience.
Additionally, I have played a key role in coordinating events such as Halloween costume contests, engineering merch giveaways, and gingerbread house-making for over a thousand student participants. My involvement in ESAC displays my passion for helping the engineering community.
As a UA Steering Committee representative, I met with student boards from across Penn on a bi-weekly basis, providing updates about ESAC while also learning more about the other activities occurring around campus.
While serving on the committee, I've also had the opportunity to work closely with the administration. I provided feedback for the Provost search team, gave insight into how space reservations can be improved, and met with administrators to discuss important student affairs.
I also took initiative by creating a reserve fund proposal to allocate parts of the UA surplus to engineering. Furthermore, I spearheaded amendments to the Steering bylaws to better lay out the process of funding proposals and voting.