Age: 20

Year: Sophomore

Major: Business economics and public policy

Hometown: Portland, Maine

Embarrassing freshman year moment: I face planted in a Funger lecture halls on my way to the front of the room.

Next song University President Steven Knapp should dance to: “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child

Platform: on-campus job recruiting; create an office of student outreach; remain committed to financial aid

Student Association outsider John Richardson is not worried about his lack of experience in his campaign for the presidency.

Richardson said a major factor that sets him apart from his opponents is that he is not an institutionalized candidate, and can improve issues students care about rather than deal with internal proceedings.

“Any inexperience I may have, I’ve been making up for by meeting with student organization leaders and administration,” Richardson said. “I don’t need to know the parliamentary proceedings because the [SA] president should not need to worry about internal issues.”

To improve communication both within the SA Senate and with the rest of the student body, Richardson said he will create an office of student outreach that will reach out to student organizations and attend their general body meetings.

“We need to know what the SA can do for any organization, what issues they face, and how we can be of assistance,” Richardson said.

Richardson said he is also seeking the SA presidency to help make the job search for students easier. He said the University’s on-campus job recruiting programs need revamping and if elected he intends to help GW make students more aware of the resources offered to them.

“The current SA has laid the groundwork for a lot of reform, including Gelman Library,” Richardson said. “I’m not going to tell you that I’m going to fix everything, because the president cannot do that alone, but I will continue to push the University in the right direction.”