Seton Hall Students Attend Fireside Chat With Governor Sherril at NJPAC

Seton Hall University students from the South Orange and Newark campuses attended a fireside chat with Governor Mikie Sherrill at NJPAC in Newark. Governor Sherrill reviewed her 100 days so far with NJ.com political reporter Brent Johnson on April 29.

Students in attendance were Lizi Shcherbakovi, the president of the Political Science Student Association; Stephen Plotke, a diplomacy senator in the Student Government Association; Lauren Darby, a political science major with minors in history and international relations; Daneya Brito, an SGA member, dual-degree diplomacy and law student and RISE scholar; Alexandra Sroufe, the event coordinator for Political Science Student Association; Enja (Benjamin) Barry, majoring in International Relations and Diplomacy; and Jasai Howard-Wright, a political science major. Devon Corneal, associate dean for Academics at the Law School and Ghana Imani Hylton, director of Campus Inclusion on the South Orange campus, also attended.

Barry, class of 2027 and international news editor for the Diplomatic Envoy, shared,

The biggest thing that stuck out to me about Governor Sherrill was her ability to easily communicate the inner workings of government to the public. She was incredibly articulate and detailed in every answer she gave. I felt excited and hopeful for the future.

Darby, class of 2028, had this to say,

I’m a student leader on the e-boards for our college democrats and NAACP, so I find it inspiring to have the opportunity to sit and hear from our current officials about their plans to better our lives. We also chatted with former Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, whom I’d met while moderating a primary panel. She engaged us and wanted to hear our opinions about the event. As a young person who wants to go into the political sphere, it’s important to provide opportunities like this for us to be in the rooms with current leaders across the state.

Sroufe, class of 2028, political science major and nonprofit studies minor, added,

Governor Sherrill did a great job addressing a multitude of different issues, not just in NJ but federally as well. What stood out to me was her emphasis on education, because 3rd-grade reading levels are the same here as in Mississippi, which I was shocked to hear. She showed a lot of passion and commitment to helping the people and businesses of New Jersey.

“It was a wonderful experience,” chimed in Howard-Wright, class of 2029, and College Democrats member. “I think [Governor Sherrill] should do more events like these where she’s actively listening to the public’s queries and feedback.”

“I’m grateful that our partnership with NJPAC is growing,” added Hylton. “We also participated in their “Divine Nine Agents of Change” event in February and hope to have even more student and staff interactions in the future. NJPAC is making great efforts to reach out to the universities in their area, and they recently invited our students to their Student Focus Group.”

Andrea Cascarano, assistant dean for Student Services at Seton Hall Law School adds this,

For many years, Seton Hall Law School graduates have crossed the stage at NJPAC to receive their degree. We are eager to expand and deepen our relationship with our NJPAC neighbors to pursue shared goals of community engagement, social justice and support for the arts.

For more information about NJPAC opportunities for Seton Hall University students or staff please contact ghana.hylton@shu.edu or jamilah.savage@shu.edu.

Categories: Law, Nation and World