Meet the GSA
March 9, 2026
Abigail Arnold | Office of Graduate Affairs
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is a representative body focused on the needs of Brandeis graduate students. It consists of an Executive Board representing all graduate students and one Senator representing each of the four schools. The GSA has been hard at work this year on a range of projects, including social events for graduate students, a winter coat drive, and awarding travel and research funding. Below, we introduce the members of the GSA and their work.
Why did you want to join the GSA leadership?
I joined the GSA to help strengthen networking and career opportunities for graduate students and to ensure graduate students’ priorities are represented in university decision-making.
What’s your most proud accomplishment from your time on the GSA so far?
Helping lead our work to update and finalize the GSA Constitution & Bylaws and strengthen clearer, more transparent processes for how we operate and communicate with graduate students.
What are you looking forward to doing or hoping to do as a GSA leader in the future?
Continuing to expand career-focused programming and partnerships, while advocating for practical improvements that support graduate student success and well-being.
Why did you want to join the GSA leadership?
I wanted to join the GSA because I care deeply about strengthening the graduate student community at Brandeis. Graduate students come from many different programs and experiences, and I believe it is important to create spaces where we feel connected and supported. I also saw the GSA as an opportunity to help ensure that graduate student perspectives are heard and represented in conversations with university leadership and to contribute to building a more collaborative and inclusive campus community.
What’s your most proud accomplishment from your time on the GSA so far?
One accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is contributing to conversations that connect graduate student concerns directly with university leadership through my role as a Board of Trustees representative. Being able to bring forward student perspectives and ensure they are part of broader institutional discussions has been very meaningful to me.
What are you looking forward to doing or hoping to do as a GSA leader in the future?
Moving forward, I hope to continue strengthening communication between graduate students, faculty, and administration while helping support initiatives that build a stronger graduate student community across programs and schools at Brandeis.
What is a fun fact about you?
A fun fact about me is that I love cooking and often share homemade Indian dishes with friends and professors. I also enjoy listening to and singing songs in different languages.
Why did you want to join the GSA leadership?
I’ve always believed in the power of community, and I’ve had the chance to build and be part of different communities in the past. When I started my studies at Brandeis, I really wanted to work with a team of students to help strengthen our own graduate community and create spaces where people feel more connected.
What's your most proud accomplishment from your time on the GSA so far?
I’ve had the opportunity to both lead and collaborate on several GSA initiatives, including Global Video Night, the Winter Coat Drive, Intercultural Night, and other community-centered events. Among all of them, Karaoke Night stands out as my proudest moment. I began planning the event well in advance, and there was a lot of coordination behind the scenes to make sure everything ran smoothly that night. The turnout was incredible, and seeing so many students gathered in one room, laughing, singing, and fully present, felt deeply meaningful. That night didn’t just feel like an event; it felt like our community creating a shared memory together.
What are you looking forward to doing or hoping to do as a GSA leader in the future?
Right now, we’re working on launching a new collaborative project between GSA and the Brandeis Food Pantry, which I’m genuinely excited about. I hope we can bring together the diverse perspectives and backgrounds within our community to take small but meaningful steps toward addressing food insecurity among students.
What is a fun fact about you?
I love being outdoors, especially hiking and mountaineering. I’ve had the chance to summit many of Iran’s mountain peaks, which is something I’m really proud of.
Why did you want to join the GSA leadership?
I think participation in small-scale or local governance is one of the best ways to make a positive impact on one's community. I love Brandeis and saw some challenges students around me face, so when the opportunity to become involved arose, I was excited to take advantage of it! I'm proud of our school, and I want to help it be even better for students, alums, and our broader Waltham community.
What's your most proud accomplishment from your time on the GSA so far?
I've been critical in the "behind-the-scenes" work for GSA this year – administrative tasks, budgeting, processing and awarding grant funds, assisting with key governing documents, etc. – which isn't very flashy, but I'm very proud of it nonetheless. These tasks are quite thankless, but they're essential as a foundation for any governing body to be effective. I'm proud to be able to clear them out of the way so students' lives can be better both for having them accomplished and for allowing room for GSA to take on more projects and initiatives that are fun and engaging for our graduate student community!
What are you looking forward to doing or hoping to do as a GSA leader in the future?
I'm very passionate about preserving and creating opportunities for work and professional development on campus. I've been working on laying the groundwork for a more robust system of internships on campus this year, and I'm hopeful to have all the legwork accomplished before I graduate in May so that future GSA leadership teams can start to implement it! The wheels of bureaucracy sometimes move quite slowly, and it saddens me to think that I will not be here to see this project come to fruition, but my legwork now is necessary if such a project is to be successfully implemented with the support of GSA. Besides, it's sort of exciting to be part of a project that may outlast me at Brandeis!
What is a fun fact about you?
Bucket list item: learn to play the cello!
Why did you want to join the GSA leadership?
I wanted to get involved in the graduate student community, and joining the GSA felt like the best way to do that. SET is a diverse school, and I wanted to make sure that students across its programs felt heard and connected to the broader Brandeis graduate community.
What's your most proud accomplishment from your time on the GSA so far?
One of my biggest priorities as a senator has been trying to build a stronger sense of community among graduate students, and helping organize the GSA's various community-building events has been a big part of that. These events create opportunities for students from different schools and programs to connect in ways that don't always happen organically.
What are you looking forward to doing or hoping to do as a GSA leader in the future?
Going forward, I want to focus on making sure that students in SET know that the GSA is a genuine resource for them and that their concerns are making it to the right people. There's still a lot of room to strengthen that connection between students and the administration.
What is a fun fact about you?
I play a weekly tabletop RPG with my cohort and we've created a language with a functioning grammar and lexicon!
Why did you want to join the GSA leadership?
I wanted to join GSA leadership to represent and advocate for my peers while helping strengthen the sense of community within the graduate student body. I am passionate about ensuring student voices are heard and contributing to initiatives that support academic success, career growth, and student engagement.
What is your most proud accomplishment from your time on the GSA so far?
One of my proudest accomplishments has been organizing the Alumni Exchange Bentley and Brandeis event in November 2025, which fostered cross-university connections, meaningful networking, and alum engagement. I also helped organize Graduate Karaoke Night on January 22, 2026, which brought together graduate students from across programs and strengthened community bonding.
What are you looking forward to doing or hoping to do as a GSA leader in the future?
I look forward to continuing to strengthen student engagement, supporting initiatives that enhance career and professional development opportunities, and helping build an inclusive and connected graduate student community.
What is a fun fact about you?
I am very passionate about fitness and sports. I work out regularly and enjoy playing basketball, soccer, volleyball, and table tennis. I am also a big anime fan and an animal lover and am especially fond of dogs and cats.
Why did you want to join the GSA leadership?
I thought I could show myself and others that democratically elected governments and institutions can do good when they are led by good people.
What's your most proud accomplishment from your time on the GSA so far?
Every time an SSSP student meets me in person for the first time and says they already know me from the emails I regularly send and that they appreciate me for being approachable and transparent.
What is a fun fact about you?
I played professional cricket in high school.