The Bush School of Government and Public Service is excited to congratulate Dahlia Taha ’23 for her election on April 11th as the Texas A&M University Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) Student Body President for the 2022-23 academic year.
Election results were announced on April 11th at 3:00 p.m. Taha won by a margin of 35 votes.
“It’s very exciting to be able to not only represent and serve graduate and professional students at Texas A&M, but also to represent the Bush School. This is not just my victory, but my cohort’s victory and the Bush School’s victory,” said Taha, a student in the Public Service and Administration program.
Taha said she initially doubted her chances of success as the candidates drew closer in the race. After a month of intense campaigning, Taha learned on April 5th that the elections would enter a runoff phase when no candidate received a majority of the votes. Taha leaned on her colleagues as she embarked on a final weeklong campaign, the most intense yet.
“It’s very exciting to be able to not only represent and serve graduate and professional students at Texas A&M, but also to represent the Bush School. This is not just my victory, but my cohort’s victory and the Bush School’s victory.”
Dahlia Taha
“I’m grateful to my fellow Bushies for their support in helping me campaign, whether it was through going to graduate lounges in schools across campus, talking about my candidacy to others or running my Instagram. The Bush School community came forth and supported me,” she said.
Taha’s tenure as president will focus on enhancing affordability, innovation and accessibility for graduate and professional students at Texas A&M University.
A desire to make graduate and professional students’ voices heard, combined with the encouragement of her community, gave Taha the confidence to pursue the position of GPSG president. Classes taught by Bush School professors, including Dr. Mallory Compton and Dr. Deborah Kerr, equipped Taha with the public speaking and administration skills she needed to succeed in her campaign. As president, Taha believes she will continue to apply valuable lessons from her Bush School education towards improving the environment for graduate and professional students.
“The confidence and knowledge I’ve gained from being in these classes has reaffirmed everything I want to do going into the future,” said Taha.
“I’ve been taught that if you set your mind to something and you have faith in what you’re working for, you should never be afraid and can truly accomplish anything. I knew I had the ability to do this because of the faith of my family, my friends and the Bush School. I was scared of losing. But, I thought, I can do this. In my year as president, I can create change. That’s something I know I’ll excel in: creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and heard.”
Taha said she is proud to exemplify the Bush School’s focus on public service as a noble calling to the wider graduate and professional community, noting that several years have passed since a full time Bush School student held the highest GPSG office.
“One of Texas A&M’s core values is selfless service. Coming from the Bush School and going into this role, I want to ensure that public service is a part of it. It is such an opportunity, and above all, I am so grateful and honored to be elected into this role.”
The Graduate and Professional Student Government exists to work in cooperation with the Texas A&M University administration to ensure that the needs of graduate and professional students are understood and considered when campus policies concerning academic excellence, tuition and finance, and research are made.
