Getting to know your future president: Sarah Armstrong

How well do you know her?

I’ll just say what everyone else is thinking: no one really cares about the YCC candidates’ campaigns. Sure, those empty promises might convince a handful of voters, but the rest of us choose our president based off of them as actual people, not as PC robots.

You might know her as the So Co president, an active member of La Casa, or the campus representative for Unite Against Sexual Assault Yale (USAY), but do you really know this Trumbull sophomore? Starting off our presidential candidate series, this is The Tab Talk with Sarah Armstrong:

What is your ideal Yale night out?

Well I have friends in a bunch of different residential colleges. Even in high school I was like that, I didn’t really have a friend group, I was more of a floater. That’s definitely how I operated freshman year and it’s carried over into sophomore year. So ideally I would have all of my individual friends in one place and that would be the squad for the night. In terms of actual party, I’m not sure… I like to hop around to different places to mix it up. I don’t want to be polarizing, but I really like Sig Ep, they have the best playlists! Sig Nu also has some good throwbacks. So a Sig Ep early 2000s night would be fun. And always end the night at Gheav, of course. I live in Trumbull so it’s dangerously close.

What is your favorite sports house?

My boyfriend is on lightweight crew, so I feel like I need to give preference to Lynwood.

Where is your favorite place to cry on campus?

Late at night on a friend’s futon.

What’s your dream job? [please, Jesus, say YCC President]

I lean towards the non-profit foundation world. In high school I was interested in government-type things, but I like how direct an impact private or nonprofit organizations have. Something like working for a really cool foundation would probably be my dream job. Or, eventually, even starting one of my own! I would definitely need to be able to travel, though, for sure.

What do you plan to do about the fact that the YCC does nothing?

Not to get too platform pitch-y, I feel like there are a lot of student groups on campus who really spark the momentum for change; people who are close to the issues. For example, USAY working against sexual assault, or the Af Am house and cultural inclusion. If you think about who is pushing for change on campus, you look at student groups, not at the YCC, which is interesting! So I would want to work really closely with the student groups and be their link to the administration so that instead of the YCC just reacting to what student groups are already pushing for, the YCC will be working proactively with them. I think that would create a lot more change that the student body would like to see.

What is your most important relationship at Yale?

I have some key ladies in my life; I met three of my best friends before Yale. There’s Caitlyn Dermody, who I met at Bulldog Days and have been really really close with ever since. [I know, I know, I peaked really early.] Then there’s Momo Chapa and Sarah Wilkins, who were both on my FOOT trip. We basically stayed as a unit on campus, which is funny. There’s also Maddie Colbert who is helping me a lot on this campaign and I met last year through Theta. So those would be my most important relationships for sure!

If you had to get a tattoo, where would you get it, what would you get and why?

No plans on getting a tattoo, but if I had to get one I would be on my ribs or something. I have no clue what I would get, and that’s why I do not foresee one in my future! My concern is that I used to do this thing in high school where I would draw designs on the back of my hand, but I would always get tired of them and want to move on to new things! So the idea of having something that permanent on my body freaks me out a little… It would have to be something I’m really on board with, but also won’t have to see all the time.

If you could be in any college other than your own, which one would you be in and why?

I’m transferring into JE! Trumbull is great and I’ve had an amazing experience in that college, but there’s this group of ladies in JE – one of them being Maddie – who I really love, and I  basically live in their suite. So I wanted to live with them next year and transferring was just the easiest option!

What is your favorite thing about Yale?

Definitely the people. I was nervous about coming to Yale because people from my high school don’t really go to places like Yale. And my mom is the only person in my family who has graduated from college, so Yale was a really big thing for me. I didn’t know what the crowd here would be, I guess, and I’ve been really pleasantly surprised both by how passionate and involved people are and by how chill people can be. I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not around here and have developed some really good relationships.

On the flip side of that, what is your least favorite thing about Yale?

The first thing that comes to mind is that fact that this campus is a really high-pressure place. It would be nice for the general vibe of the student body to feel like they can relax more, I think that’d be really good for mental health. There’s this pressure to succeed and be perfect all the time, so it’d be nice if everyone could just be happy with where they’re at.

What is your craziest Yale memory?

I don’t have anything too extreme! Spring Fling alone was pretty wild for me; I’ve never been out for so many consecutive hours. It just started so early in the morning, you had that mid-afternoon power nap and then you keep going. I am not as ambitious as others, some people went to Toad’s that night. And the TANG was the next day, which is insane! I was looking at Snapchats of that and I had no idea how people had the stamina for it! So that story might not be as crazy as others, but the sheer number of hours was something unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

What is your deepest darkest secret?

Wow, I’ve never said this past fifth grade or something, but in the fourth grade I was a legitimate member of Miley World, Miley Cyrus’s fan club. I paid for it and everything! All of the girls in my school were getting their accounts and you got a bunch of cool stuff with it like shirts or whatever. I also went to a Hannah Montana concert before she was big, so it was free and I was so excited. Wow this is so embarrassing, I haven’t told anyone in college this!

What is your guiltiest Google search?

First semester freshman year I used to be so enamored by every person I met, so I would Google people I had met. I was just like, “Oh my God I’m at Yale! Everyone is so interesting and cool!” but now I’m friends with a lot of those people and am very embarrassed to say I looked them up.

What is your current phone background?

It’s a picture of my best friend from home and I.

Box or Toad’s?

Box, but I don’t have a fake so I’ve only been a couple of times, but when I’ve been, I’ve really enjoyed it. Though at Toad’s I run into more people… How about this: I like Box’s vibe better, but Toad’s community better.

Blue State or Starbucks?

Blue State, but, this is probably my biggest identity crisis, you nailed it! In terms of taste of drink, Starbucks, but I go to Blue State more due to proximity.

Sushi on Chap or Kumo?

Sushi on Chap. [Spoken like a true Theta]

Sterling or Bass?

Sterling.

Fuck, marry, kill: Schwartzman, Christakis, or Mueller?

Oh, this is not good… I might have to pass on this one!

What are your main campaign stances?

My main focus is to fix the framework of YCC. I’m the Sophomore Class President and this year we started a new Yale tradition called the Sophomore Brunch – which is essentially the same thing as the Freshman Dinner. Because freshman year you have all of these events and everyone is on Old Campus and the entire class is really close together. But sophomore year, you don’t see people as much, you get really involved in your extracurriculars, and everyone gets increasingly fractured, so I wanted to create something that would bring everyone together. But, you know, having the entire class together is super expensive so I went to YCC about it. And they basically told me that it wasn’t going to happen this year because budgets were set, the administration would never go for it; essentially I was told, good idea but it’s not going to happen.

So then I went out of YCC and directly to the administration and it happened right away. A year isn’t a huge amount of time, yet some people make these extensive lists of all the things they are going to do while they’re president, but it’s not realistic. However, there are some things that different groups have been working on for years and the YCC meets with the administration all of the time, so it only makes sense that those people are in the room for those meetings! Then, the momentum they’ve been working on for so long can finally reach the administration and, hopefully, turn into action!

In terms of general issues I’m interested in, I’m pretty passionate about sexual climate stuff. I’m the campus representative for USAY, so that has a pretty important place in my heart. All of the candidates are going to be talking about this, but cultural inclusion and financial aid are a huge part of my campaign. I’m also into issues that aren’t really talked about and aren’t very sexy campaign pitches, but there are a ton of groups that get forgotten about. I’m dyslexic, so I’m in the Office for Disabilities a lot and there’s just not really any support for intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities, other than the accommodations that you are legally required to have. That’s not a population that people running for YCC president usually talk about because it’s not a huge voter demographic, but there are a bunch of niche groups like that that I would like to bring into the conversation.

Sorry, I’m ranting, but there’s also the athletes who make up such a large part of the Yale population, yet they have no representation in the YCC. Which makes sense because they’re super busy, but they need someone there fighting for them, or else things like this year’s Spring Fling date happen and just further exclude them from the rest of the campus.

Why should you be our next president?

I really view the student government as a service role. I don’t think that’s how it’s always viewed, but I really think that’s how it should be. Freshman year I worked in Dwight Hall a lot and I would really like to see the YCC work closer with them because they’re both service organizations in the end. I think what’s unique about me is that I’m trying to bring a sense of service to the school in an organization that can be a little ominous where people don’t really know what they’re doing. There are some really passionate people in the YCC who are doing some really amazing things, but they’re doing them in a framework that isn’t conducive to change.

Most people don’t know this, but the other candidates are on the technical side of YCC, while I’m on the class council side of it. And that has been pretty intentional on my part. I don’t go to many YCC events because I disagree with how much of the budget goes towards internal social events when it could go to many other things, for example, social events in different cultural houses. Because that’s what they need: a way to get people into their spaces and involved in the conversation.

And you’re a girl!

Yes! Let’s talk about that! In the past 15 years, there has only been one female YCC president. That’s insane! The people on YCC need to be more representative of the people at Yale.

It’s time for a Latina woman, come on!

Exactly! Thank you!

Why she’s convinced The Tab:

Though her perfectly-styled hair and impeccable eyeliner might make you think otherwise, Sarah is not your average Theta girl. Well-spoken and thoughtful, this die-hard Miley fan doesn’t give a fuck what other candidates are doing and is not afraid to voice her concerns with issues on campus. Plus, her flex game is unparalleled. Check out Sarah’s campaign video here.

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