Were you ever curious about what your future SGA president’s greatest fear is? Why would a potential CCAS senator want to attend GW? What exactly does the SGA feel is the most underrated thing about GW? Read more to find out the inside scoop on the potential SGA candidates!

Cheydon Naleimaile-Evangelista

Mahira: Hi, thank you so much for being here today. Would you be able to introduce yourself for our audience?

Cheydon: Yeah, hi, I’m Cheydon. I am a second year here majoring in political communication in our School of Media and Public Affairs and I’m running for SGVP.

Mahira: That is amazing and we are very excited to have you here today.

Cheydon: Thank you for having me.

Mahira: Yes, of course. Now I’m just very curious, what exactly is your favorite animal and why?

Cheydon: So my favorite animal has to be the red panda. And it’s mainly because of a childhood memory. It’s like when I, one of my very first trips to the continent to U.S. from Hawaii was to California. We went to Disneyland and we also went to the San Diego Zoo. And one of the very first animals I remember seeing was the red panda there. And that’s the only one that I have like a distinct memory of and like how it looked, how it really interacted. So that’s kind of why it’s my favorite animal.

Mahira: That’s wonderful. I love that memory. And I’m sure, you know, you have a bunch of things that you’ve experienced in life that have led you to this moment here today. So I am curious, though, how exactly has your identity impacted your campaign here?

Cheydon: I mean, yeah, it’s been at the core, really, of my campaign. Growing up in Hawaii, it’s just, Hawaii is just a very diverse place.

Mahira: Yes.

Cheydon: And really, growing up in Hawaii, diverse perspectives were always at the table. So it’s something I’m really familiar with. And I want to bring that here to GW, you know, which is, I think uplifting our minority communities that we have here is something that we definitely need. I think especially indigenous voices. Because, I mean, this is, you know, again, as we have our land acknowledgements, right? This is land that belonged to Piscataway, Pamunkey, and Anacostian peoples. So I think uplifting our indigenous voices is also really important.

Mahira: I think that is essentially something that is very much at the core and heart of what we should be looking for here when we come to talk about what exactly does it mean to be a politician, for example, or someone running an area when you have it being held on indigenous lands. So thank you so much for having that perspective and voice in your campaign. That is very much important. I am curious, though, what exactly is your favorite floor to study on in Gelman?

Cheydon: In Gelman, I think, okay, to be quite honest, I don’t want to study in Gelman. I study at the USC, but I think my favorite floor might have to be the 6th floor, because I have my class there.

Mahira: Wow, yes, that is amazing. Is it what I’m most familiar with? That’s wonderful, and you probably know more about the ins and outs of the classrooms there than many of the GW students do as a whole. So that’s wonderful. What exactly is one underrated thing about GW, you would say?

Cheydon: Good question. I would say an underrated thing at GW has to be, I honestly think it has to be, I think Square 80 is pretty underrated. I think it should be, I think it should be utilized more often. I see a lot of high schoolers there, and I think we need more college students there.

Mahira: I agree, yeah.

Cheydon: Especially because they redesigned it now with a nice GW logo on it. But yeah, I think that needs to be utilized more.

Mahira: Wait, that’s wonderful. I actually really appreciate that observation. I should go to Square 80 more myself.

Cheydon: Yeah, you should, you should.

Mahira: Yeah, especially now that the other is much nicer. Now let’s say we’re in a scenario where there is a high school student coming from a college campus tour here on GW. They strayed away from their tour group and now they’re kind of left wondering, should I commit to GW? You find them on the streets and this is now your moment to persuade them to come to GW. So what exactly is your elevator pitch?

Cheydon: You know, that’s actually a funny question because I actually am a tour guide.

Mahira: Wow, that’s awesome.

Cheydon: So usually what I tell them is I usually say like, When I chose to go to college, GW was not a choice that I considered at all. And it wasn’t until I was able to find this program that took students from Hawaii to the continental U.S. to tour colleges and universities there. And I toured GW as a part of that experience. And GW went from nowhere on my list to number one on that list. I really saw myself fitting into the student experience. So I kind of talk about that, and then I talk about finding your own way and seeing a university that you can see the student experience being the one for you. And then I also appreciated the academics. I mean, I want to study politics, so of course, where better to do that than in the heart of our nation’s capital?

Mahira: Yeah.

Cheydon: I came for the academics, but I stayed for my friends and the people I’ve met, like you, Mahira. And it’s definitely, it’s been a journey, and that’s usually what I tell people.

Mahira: That is wonderful. I had no idea you were a tour guide. So we love to see it, the pride here on campus with, you know, showing these new generations what GW is like. I am also very aware of the fact that each candidate might have either formal or informal campaign team. So would you like to give a shout out to one of the really influential people on your campaign that has helped you throughout this process?

Cheydon: Yes, I think I’d like to shout out Anoushka. She’s been really helpful, as well as Elena. They’ve been really helpful in my campaign. They’ve been the lead people behind it. So yeah, shout out to them.

Mahira: That is really sweet. And just for one final question, what exactly was your childhood fear growing up and how did you overcome this fear?

Cheydon: I would say my childhood fear growing up was jump scares. And I didn’t overcome it. I still have it.

Mahira: Me too. It’s okay.

Cheydon: So yeah, I didn’t overcome it.

Mahira: You know what? And that’s okay because honestly, jump scares. Pretty scary. Yeah. So anything else you would like to tell our audience before we finish this interview today?

Cheydon: I don’t think so. Thanks for having me.

Mahira: All right. Wonderful. Thank you. And that’s a wrap.