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Student body leaders: Nyssa Gatcombe — ‘insanely driven’

Posted on Nov. 16, 2009, at 1:15 a.m.

Nyssa Gatcombe has the University of Maine in her blood. As a fourth-generation Black Bear, Gatcombe now holds a position her ancestral line of alumni can be proud of.

In the recent student government elections, Gatcombe was elected to the office of vice president against competing candidate Timothy Smith in a vote of 1,375 to 817.

A third-year biology student with a minor in animal science, Gatcombe is the first female to be elected, not appointed, to office in the last 10 years.

“It’s a little bit different, but it will be OK because I’m friends with everyone already,” she said of being the only female vice president. “It should be an interesting experience to say the least.”

Gatcombe is looking forward to starting her new position. Until taking office, she is planning to meet with former vice presidents to learn what worked and didn’t work for them.

Her meetings will be made easy because she is friends with former vice presidents Steven Moran and James Lyons and current Vice President Ross Wolland. She hopes to contact Bill Pomerleau as well, as he managed a feat she is hoping to accomplish.

“I’ve been told when he was VP he had, like, 45-minute senate meetings,” Gatcombe said. “I’m just like, how do you manage that?”

Efficient senate meetings are a top priority for Gatcombe, who will run each one as part of her office. She hopes to cut down on the amount of paper used in the meetings as well.

“I’m very, very driven. I’m also ridiculously organized about certain aspects of my life and I have the feeling Student Government is one of them, considering I already have binders and binders full of agendas and resolutions,” Gatcombe said.

She credits these skills for her win in the election.

Her experience as a senator, president of the Student Alumni Association, secretary for Residents on Campus, a member of the Forensics Team and the Class of 2011 Council also helped her credibility.

“I also have very, very good connections with the administration,” Gatcombe said. “You can only do so much in a position if you’re not connected to both the students and the administration.”

When she isn’t at work on campus, Gatcombe shares a hobby with President-elect Brian Harris — music. She plays the piano and mandolin, enjoys singing and hopes to perform at Java Jive with a friend some time this year.

In her spare time, she sells merchandise for a local bluegrass band — a genre of music she enjoys.

“I’m insanely busy,” Gatcombe said.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009, 1:15 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.