BNOC: Juliana Batista, beyond the title of SA President

You’ve probably spotted her running up and down College Ave on your way to CTB or in Willard Straight as you’re heading to meet friends for dinner at Okie’s.

It’s her senior year, she’s SA president and lets be honest — you’ll probably be hearing her name years after she’s long gone.

Known for her bubbly personality, immense intellect and out-of-this-world public speaking skills, Juliana Batista, a social butterfly with a whole lot of power, still remains a mystery to most who only see her facilitating SA meetings and byline funding hearings.

So we sat down with the student body president herself to discover what she does when she isn’t running our Cornell world, her favorite places to relax and grab a bite and her future plans beyond our gorges campus.

What do you want Cornellians to know about you that they don’t already know?

Well, that I’m more than just Student Assembly president that’s for sure. I have so many interests outside of student government, even though I don’t have the most time in the world to pursue them since SA keeps me so busy.

This year, I’m really excited because I’ve gotten back into dancing and am performing in a few productions with the Performing & Media Arts program. I’ve also been a jazz pianist since I was 11 and picked up kitesurfing in high school on Cape Cod. But, I really do want the student body to know that I care about the impact I can make on students.

It’s kind of difficult to be put in a mediating position between students and the institution, but I am trying to be someone who can actually impact the long term vision of university operations.

What do you consider to be the biggest campus issue you have to tackle as SA president?

The cost of higher education, hands down. We are seeing an increase in financial aid, but that increase creates a dissonance in university priorities. Surely there are many benefits related to the increase in aid such as a surge in diversity of all kinds across campus — socioeconomic, racial and in personal and professional interests of students.

But in bringing that diversity, we would have to increase the amount of resources available to students and that’s where the dissonance is rooted. There are incredible student-funded organizations that aren’t matched by the university in terms of funding and support. We say that diversity is an ideological goal, but cannot match diversity as a funding goal.

I hope to highlight these issues and help develop a strategic plan for the Dean of Student Office in the future.  Additionally, through financial aid and the cost of higher education students are put in positions where they have to navigate the system which becomes a burden.

So overall, I know that I can’t eliminate this problem on my own because it’s a problem many universities are facing at the moment, but with the help of school officials and influential alumni, maybe it can be less of an issue in the future.

Why did you decide to run for Student Assembly?

Well, in high school I tried to run for student government, but the guy who won won because he ran with “that’s what she said” jokes; so I lost faith in the system in high school … and planned prom, you know Ocean under the Stars. But freshman year [at Cornell], I saw student government as an immense opportunity to meet people and enact change. And that decision has made my collegiate experience so worthwhile retrospectively.

What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind once you graduate?

Well, I don’t really believe in leaving a legacy, actually. Because when you’re constantly thinking about that, you are so focused on how you’re doing it, not what you are doing, so you don’t actually make a difference. So as I’ve transitioned into my senior year, I’ve been trying to help younger SA members look at things on a bigger scale.

I’ve also worked on shifting the perspectives of influential campus faculty members to reimagine their work. I see myself as a mentor to those who can continue on the work that I have done, and as an advisor to those that will lead University administration for the next decade.

Further, in a tangible way, my work with AIDS Week has meant a lot to me because of the personal family relevance and lessening a palpable stigma. Lastly, I am so fortunate to be a part of the campus transition to positive consent conversations and helping to break the silence of survivors. It’s all about making an impact for me, and an impact that resonates with future campus leaders.

Who or what inspires you?

Telling me something can’t be done or I can’t be something. There’s something about tackling a problem and being relentless.  But seriously, we are just college seniors – some of my friends and peers are solving world crises, and right now I’m just humbly trying to create an academic and social environment at Cornell and Ithaca where they can flourish.

I’m ultimately energized when someone approaches me that I changed their experience at Cornell. I think, though, that I’m equally inspired by others, especially those who flip my viewpoint on the world upside down and have a first-hand experience to illustrate it.  I’m an experience-driven person. I collect experiences. I love pushing myself into uncomfortable situations to see how I react. It helps me measure my own growth.

Where do you see yourself in a year … or even five?

Happy. Truly, genuinely happy. Not defined by my career, but rather by what I am passionately building and the people I admire and surround myself with.

I know your schedule must be crazy busy, so where do you go to unwind and relax?

This is such an easy question, but I’m scared to give up my secret … oh well! The Johnson Museum on the fifth floor where they have that big, gray, comfy couch that overlooks all of Ithaca. I can just take my Kindle up there and escape. It’s my favorite spot.

What is your favorite place to grab a bite?

CTB had me at hello. The California Dreamin’ breakfast sandwich is literally the way to my heart.

What is your favorite drunk eats spot?

The Sushiritto Truck. It’s so good and right outside my door — perfection!

What’s your favorite Cornell memory to date?

Gotta give a shout-out to the original potluck crew at the beginning of junior year.  Countless memories shared over good home-cooked meals.

So, Juliana … the final question. How would you describe yourself in one sentence?

The real Juliana?  Always pushing myself to live outside of my comfort zone, and in doing so, becoming easily inspired, but still finding my purpose.

Juliana is expected to graduate in May of 2016 and will go work somewhere in someplace to be determined and is totally OK with that.