Candidate Profile

Chittesh Saravanan

(He/Him)

My name is Chittesh Saravanan and I am currently a freshman Political Science major in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. I have a passion for government and amplifying student voices – which is the simplest reason why I’m pursuing this elected position. In more depth, it speaks to parts of my identity to value the importance of such an abundant resource like a student government, especially at such a diverse university. As an immigrant, obviously the pillars of democracy are dear to my heart and it is important to me that students - loud, intelligent, hard-working students - have a place to do good for their community, to speak out on issues that can be overlooked. I’m pursuing the opportunity to represent the LAS Student Body in the Illinois Student Council because it is a real outlet to put my communication, writing, political problem-solving, and even leadership skills to the test. Not only have I always been academically diligent, I’ve previously done work for a Youth Advisory Council in my hometown and was the head student representative for my school in our district’s Board of Education, so I have ‘field’ experience in advocating for students in front of stiff, conduct-following administrations. I do believe administrations get a bad rap when it comes to progress and listening to the community, but it’s important to elect students that understand how to find the spots that bear fruit, which I believe I can do. I’m currently an intern at the Diversity and Social Justice Education office, a division of the University itself – which means I am even more familiar with how UIUC functions on the administrative side and I believe that could make me a valuable elected representative. Finally, for my platform (I think it’s pretty obvious from my previous experience and what I chose to highlight in this paragraph), but I aim to be very insistent about the diversity, equity, and inclusion of our academics, especially the university’s unfortunate condemnation of many outspoken student positions on various racial and human rights issues, and hope to play a part in diverting university finances to fund more scholarships for underprivileged students, cultural RSOs, and better mental health resources at university-sponsored programs (i.e. McKinley and CARE Tutoring). I hope to have a (very exciting) opportunity to do this special work for my peers who may not otherwise have a voice.