2023-2024 Candidate Info

Candidate Biography: My name is Rithika Behera and I am a fourth year Ph.D candidate in the School of Medicine. My research is focused on the genetic regulation of proteins involved in skin fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis, a rare autoimmune disease with increased morbidity and no cure. My research has been awarded the 2022-2023 Predoctoral Summer Fellowship by the National Scleroderma Foundation. During my term in graduate school, I have undertaken leadership roles and extracurricular initiatives to carry out impactful changes to graduate life.

• I’ve advocated for and achieved a 3.7% stipend increase for graduate students in the School of Medicine for the year 2021-2022.

• I’m a member on the University Council on Graduate studies where we develop and review protocols, regulations and make recommendations to the Provost for new post-baccalaureate degree and certificate programs.

• I am also one of the founding members of Graduate GLEAP committee, where my role is focused on shaping a healthy environment, empowering graduate students to perform their best in their professional careers and personal lives.

I am passionate about improving the representation of women in STEM as this is important to better represent the needs of the society and drive innovation. To help this issue, I’ve served as the outreach committee head of Biomedical Graduate Student Association (BGSA) at the University of Pittsburgh from 2020-2021. During my tenure I founded a volunteer program enabling graduate students to mentor and promote STEM careers amongst Gwen’s Girls STEM participants, an organization that helps African American middle and high school students promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

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Candidate Statement: My name is Rithika Behera, and I am excited to run for the position of President. Through my leadership experiences in graduate school, I have realized that I truly enjoy discussions pertaining to improving graduate life. I am keen to build student friendly policies that can benefit every individual irrespective of their race, gender, particularly in these uncertain times. Being an international student, I am fully aware of the challenges many students face and I wish to serve as an important resource and add value to the systems and policies shaping higher education.

My goals from this position are to

• Advocate for increase in graduate stipend and resources for mental health support.

• Foster a supportive campus community that will promote discussions and education pertaining to cultural diversity in the graduate community.

• Build intercultural initiatives to enhance the cultural integration of international students into the Pitt community and bring their strengths to the forefront.

• Address graduate students’ concerns and questions professionally, confidentially and to the best of my abilities.

• Strengthen the relations and increase transparency between the University board and graduate students.

I am committed to working with the GPSG leadership and staff to build on GPSG’s current strategic plan and work towards a fair, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all.

Candidate Biography: Hello everyone! My name is DevishaBisaria, and I am running for President of the Graduate and Professional Student Government! I am a Public and International Affairs graduate student at Pitt and have come from a background of service and leadership. I received my undergraduate degree from Loyola University Chicago in Criminal Justice and Criminology. I believe the experience that prepared me most for this position was my role as Team Leader at the nationwide non-profit, City Year. During my time with them in Boston, I worked to create safe spaces for individuals of different backgrounds and identities, prioritize the mental and emotional well-being of my students & team, and focus on doing our community social justice work as efficiently and effectively as possible. I want to do the same, and more, for GPSG. I am currently participating in the The Hesselbein Forum Leadership Program in International Affairs in order to improve my leadership skills. 

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Candidate Statement: Flexibility, patience, empathy, and genuine love for this graduate school will be the foundation of my leadership for our community. As President, I will strive to advocate for my fellow students and work to grow DEI initiatives on campus. As a current member of the Students of Color Alliance Executive Board for GSPIA, I am learning how this university functions and how to enact change through its systems. I plan to serve the broader graduate school community at Pitt with the skills I am acquiring through this leadership position. 

I believe that as a team, we can create a unique experience for our fellow students and leave them with lasting impressions of acceptance, diversity, inclusivity, and kindness. 

I take pride in being a part of the Pitt community, and I’d be honored to represent my peers and friends in our journey to effect change.

Candidate Biography: My name is Ande Marini, and I am a fourth year PhD Candidate in Bioengineering in the Swanson School of Engineering. Prior to coming to Pitt, I studied both Engineering Science and Biology at Saint Vincent College. In both undergraduate college and graduate school, I have sought out leadership opportunities.

As a freshman in college, I saw the need to create a community for students in the newly developed Engineering Science Program. Thus, I founded the Engineering Club. As Founder and President, I arranged for students to tour various Engineering facilities to help Engineering students network with companies for future career opportunities. My early contributions to the Engineering community encouraged me to remain involved in leadership positions and continue creating a community where students could thrive.

In graduate school, I am an active member of Pitt’s graduate chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), initially serving as the First-Year Representative (2019-2020), then Vice President (2020-2021), and finally as the President (2021-2022). Through these positions, I have been actively involved with the Department in planning recruitment weekend and various professional, academic, and social events. During the 2021-2022 year, I played an integral role in rebuilding the face-to-face interaction that was lost during the pandemic. I led a student board of over 10 people and coordinated semesterly meetings with the Department, leading discussions about the program, community, etc. As a result, the current board has evolved and continued to work with the Department to ensure students feel seen and heard.

Through my time as the Engineering Graduate Student Organization (EGSO) Department Representative (2020-2022), the EGSO 2021-2022 board acknowledged my leadership skills. Thus, I was elected President for the 2022-2023 academic year. My goal was to improve communication between EGSO and the Department Representatives, effectively enhance interdepartmental community, and address student concerns across the Engineering School. I have led a team of diverse individuals to plan social (including an International Cuisine Celebration focused on embracing international cultures) and professional events. Our board also meets with Department Representatives from all engineering disciplines, fostering a community of collaboration.

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Candidate Statement: As the current EGSO President, I have had the opportunity to learn about GPSG and their current goal to improve the overall Pitt community across different schools. I believe diversity and community breed innovation, collaboration, and connection, and I want to impact more students at Pitt outside of the Engineering School. As GPSG President, I will continue fostering community and collaboration by working with the 2023-2024 board to create inclusive events and an overall safe environment. I also hope to work with administration to develop resources to foster interdisciplinary community. Graduate students work hard in their classes and research; they deserve to feel seen, heard, and safe at Pitt. As GPSG President, I hope to create that community and work to provide any necessary resources for students.

Candidate Biography: My name is Robert Miller, and I am currently a first-year student at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs focusing on Security and Intelligence Studies. Throughout my first year, I have been fortunate enough to work with the Matthew B. Ridgeway Center for International Security Studies as a co-host of the podcast Bunker’s Cable. Before pursuing my master's, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management-Accounting with a dual minor in Actuarial Science and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. While an undergrad, I held many leadership roles that allowed me to advocate for all student needs and concerns effectively. Specifically, I served as a Resident Assistant where I advocated for effective policy change surrounding Campus Police responses to mental health. As well as I held a multitude of positions within the Student Government Association where I served as the Treasurer, held placements on diverse committees, and represented the Greensburg student body on the President Advisory Committee on Undergraduate Programs here at the main campus. I also worked to start the first student to successfully work through the process of starting a new honors society aimed at recognizing and supporting exceptional students within the fields of Management, Management-Accounting, and Management Information Systems.

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Candidate Statement: From my time as an undergrad through my first year at GSPIA I have heard students call on the University of Pittsburgh to do better at creating a safe and inclusive environment for all students. That call, however, was met with inaction by the University administration. With the President position, I plan to hold all University administration officials accountable for their inaction and plan to work with the GPSG and other university governing bodies to create an effective plan aimed at addressing the concerns of students. I also plan on using this position to reopen graduate study spaces across campus to offer all graduate students space to quietly study or work on their dissertations. I believe the University has made strides to change its behavior but much more progress needs to be made.