Pictured: Emily Gamache, Vice President of student senate. PHOTO CREDIT: uri.edu
Third-year Emily Gamache has worked her way up to vice president of the University of Rhode Island’s Student Senate by demonstrating leadership skills and being a voice for the student body since her first year.
Gamache is originally from New Hampshire and chose URI after touring the campus as a junior in high school. She is currently majoring in health studies with a minor in communications.
Although Gamache has always been drawn to the health field, she realized that there were different roles she could approach in this discipline.
“I was originally going to do the pre-PA track which would allow me to become a Physician Assistant,” Gamache said. “Then I decided that I really liked the leadership roles I have taken on over the years so I’m still focusing on health studies, but more on business and management in hospitals.”
As a first-year in 2020, getting involved at URI was extremely difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, after scrolling through clubs on the University’s website, Student Senate caught her attention.
In high school, Gamache served as a student member, vice president and student council president. Her previous experience gave her the courage to join the Student Senate to meet new people and get involved as quickly as possible.
The process for getting elected, Gamache explained, involves being elected into the club which allows you to become a student representative. At this point, you can choose which committee you want to be a representative for and Gamache chose the campus committee.
With her first semester in college only beginning, Gamache felt that she had done enough, with the circumstances at the time, to be surrounded by new peers even if it was only at Zoom meetings.
As a first-year student, Gamache went on to become the vice chair for the Campus Affairs committee after shadowing then-chair Michael Bentley, who was a fourth-year at the time.
As the semesters passed and schools resumed in-person learning, Gamache sought to find more ways to build relationships by joining the sorority Alpha Chi Omega (Alpha Chi) in the Fall of 2021 as a founding member.
“In November of 2021, we held executive elections for Alpha Chi and because we didn’t have anyone above us we slated people into positions,” she said. “I did an interview and I got slated for the vice president of philanthropy and I got voted on by the girls in my sorority.”
As a second-year, Gamache had a position in Student Senate, philanthropy chair in her sorority and this fall, as a third-year, she became a URI101 mentor.
Gamache still holds the philanthropy chair in her sorority and will continue to serve in this role until November. In this position, Gamache holds committee meetings, attends executive board and chapter meetings, while coordinating events and fundraisers.
This year, Gamache is focusing on raising money for the domestic violence resource center of South County. Gamache will also be coordinating with other Greek life chapters to help them with their philanthropic endeavors.
As she rose the ranks from vice chair to chair of the Campus Affairs Committee, Gamache oversaw all of the issues revolving around campus, including transportation, housing and dining.
Now, since being voted in as vice president of the Student Senate in April, Gamache’s responsibilities have grown to overseeing all of the Senate’s five committees— External Affairs, Academic Affairs, Cultural Affairs, Student Organization and her former committee, Campus Affairs.
In this new role, Gamache supports each group by listening to their needs and assisting them in creating events and then booking locations. Additionally, she is in charge of orientation for new student senators informing them of the duties they will hold in their respective positions.
Grace Summerson, a senior majoring in political science, serves as the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, and has been on Student Senate since fall of 2021.
“Emily has been an excellent vice president,” Summerson said. “She’s been a leader since she earned this position, both among fellow senators, as well as here at URI.”
Summerson said Gamache always brings positive energy and she rarely sees her without a welcoming smile on her face.
Along with peers, Gamache has had professors at URI such as Nicole Baker, a professor in psychology and Steven Cohen, a professor of health studies, who have allowed her a space to grow as a student and individual, she said.
“Nicole Baker was really wonderful and I was also a teacher’s assistant for her last year,” Gamache said. “I have been able to grow from her leadership and Steven Cohen’s communication skills are something I have found really important in gaining more knowledge outside the classroom than what’s being taught on paper.”
For Gamache, she believes that the best part of the Senate is the family she has created in the club. Aside from her confidence thriving over the years, she said, she believes that being the voice for the student body is the most vital aspect of her position.
“We have connections to leadership and we hold meetings to discuss life on campus and express concerns we may see or that are brought to us,” Gamache said.
Looking forward to her fourth year at URI, Gamache plans to run for president in the Student Senate and create annual events such as Fall Fest and continue to hold events such as Women’s Summit.