I am Jiahe (Jay) Chen, class of 2026, majoring CS and I am applying for the Student Advocacy Committee at the Student Leader Board. The most valuable lesson I learned at DKU is that problems often come from misunderstanding. However, from my point of view, there are too many misunderstandings going on between students and university decision-makers. To solve this problem, over these years, I talked with DKU and Duke leadership on various issues as a student representative, including housing, military training, and some courses. For example, when I was a first-year student, I had some feedback on DKU 101 and also noticed other students were unsatisfied with the course. Then, I collected opinions from other cohort students and reported them to the instructors, Dean Marcia, Dean Jill, and Dean Paul. We had a meeting to share suggestions and opinions. Finally, we reached agreements on some modifications, like switching 101 to in-person and designing more interesting games, which became the reality in the following year. From this experience, I feel my fellow students and my feedback could make a difference in improving DKU’s academic and campus experience. This is the motivation for me to join the SLB. Also, as the co-founder of DKU AI Club and Journal Club, the OL for the Class of 2027, I am qualified to be a student leader for my organization and communication experience and skills. If selected as a committee, I will continue to be committed to bridging the conversation between students and leadership to facilitate decision-making and mutual understanding. Specifically, I will contribute to collecting feedback and solving misunderstandings on Room Assignments, E-Bike & Hoverboard policy, OL/RA Selection Process, and other controversial issues. Let’s work together to make a better DKU.