Q&A: Meet Drexel’s 2026 GSA President and Vice President
Kasonde Chewe and Aiman Nadeem. Photos courtesy of Chewe and Nadeem.
Drexel University’s Graduate Student Association (GSA) president and executive vice president have spent the summer preparing to bring as many resources as possible towards their fellow graduate students, and hear more voices from their community.
President Kasonde Chewe, a PhD student in biomedical engineering in the Nick Howley College of Engineering and Computing, first came to Drexel for a master’s degree in bioinformatics before falling in love with research. Now, he specializes in genomics and epigenetics at the Fox Chase Cancer Center and studies mechanisms related to different cancers, as well as mitochondrial aging. His first introduction to GSA was as the chair of academic affairs last year, during which he was involved in the Drexel Emerging Graduate Scholars (DEGS) event and other workshops and events.
Executive Vice President Aiman Nadeem, a master's student in biological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, studies how nutrient stress in the aging brain can lead to neurotransmitter imbalances tied to diseases like Alzheimer's and depression. In undergrad, she founded an organization focused on STEM accessibility and was involved in student government, an experience that inspired her to continue her advocacy in Drexel. She served as the vice president of Finance in GSA last year, leading new initiatives including the Dragon Impact Grant (DIG) and free food produce pop-ups.
The pair are passionate about increasing opportunities for graduate students through initiatives including produce pop-ups, the GSA Plus Program and the Dragon Impact Grant. The latter distributed about $20,000 last year for research, entrepreneurial and community projects, Nadeem said, and the goal this year is to increase awareness of resources like these and others.
Q: What has it been like taking over as president and vice president?
A: Chewe: The summer is fantastic because you get to have your training wheels and figure out all the systems and processes and reach out to people. The Office of Graduate Studies has extended so much support to us, and we’ve been meeting with partners in the Provost’s office and the SORC (Student Organization Resource Center) has also been amazing in helping us get to know what systems and processes there are to deliver services and events to students as well. Now we’re going into fall term with Welcome Week and other events, and we’re ready to go. We’re thinking about what we can do to improve upon what the previous board did so students are more aware of resources.
A: Nadeem: Since I was already part of GSA before, that has been really helpful for me to transition in this role. Last year, I was more focused on introducing initiatives and opportunities related to my department, and making processes better within it. This year, as EVP, my focus has widened to the graduate student population, hearing what students across the university are struggling with so I can bring those concerns to university leadership and to our internal departments. On top of that, I'm working closely with our board members, hearing out their ideas and encouraging them to think like innovators, helping them figure out where to go and who to talk to in order to execute what they're envisioning and grow as leaders.
Q: What are your goals for your tenure?
A: Nadeem: One of my main goals is advocacy for students and understanding what they want, so we will be launching a University-wide survey for graduate students to hear about their concerns and experiences. We want to see what positive experiences they have in the university, but we also want to understand any negative experiences they have faced and where we can improve as a University and what GSA can do.
Another thing we’re focusing on is professional and personal development for students. We are planning to launch the GSA Plus program that we worked on last year. A big part of that is addressing financials and introducing coupons and benefits for graduate students. We also are looking to hopefully introduce small research grants. We’re all aware of the funding situation right now, so we want to better support grad students.
A: Chewe: One thing we always hear at events is, “Oh, that's cool. We didn't know that existed.” Part of the GSA Plus program is to show there are resources for mental health, for funding, so you can go to the platform we’re developing and understand all the resources here at Drexel, which I know can be overwhelming. That platform will also give you an opportunity to set reminders for things that are coming up so you don’t miss out.
We want to be a bridge and remind people they’re not going through this alone, and we can get them connected to the right people.
Q: What events do you want to bring to the Drexel community this year?
A: Chewe: We're partnering with Drexel AI (a resource organization) and the School of Computer and Information Science and a number of corporate partners to host a hackathon at Drexel University and highlight some of the computer resources that we have here, like the supercomputer cluster.
There’s also a workshop series we’re planning. Drexel has so many talented grad students who we really want to highlight for the skills they have, so we want to formalize a calendar each term for workshops where students can explore topics like how to make a poster, how to write an abstract or a literature review, or the impact of AI on higher education.
A: Nadeem: The goal with this workshop series is not for students to just go listen to what someone has to say. We want them to actually experience what they’re learning at that point. We’re designing the workshop series to be a place where students can come in and network with each other and show what they’ve built, and it goes towards experiential learning too.
Q: What have you heard from grad students that is top of mind right now?
A: Chewe: Resource awareness is one thing that we constantly hear about, and resource utilization, so we talk to partners like Drexel’s Lindy Center for Civic Engagement and the Counseling Center about how we can help get students engaged. Another thing students are facing right now is uncertainty, especially with funding and what their job is going to look like in the future. Drexel is fantastic for the co-op program because it gives you a foot in the door into the industry already, so the next step is making sure that students who are graduating soon know how to approach all these things, like AI in the workplace.
We want to assess if we’re meeting students’ needs and bridging the gaps. How can we bring all these needs forward? We want to continuously bring these resources towards students.
A: Nadeem: We’ve also heard about overall career development, and part of that is about knowing the resources and attending and using them, but people are also wanting more career fairs focused on specific areas. For a lot of these things, we’re trying to collect data on that, so we can bring it to University leadership.
Q: What advice would you give new graduate students who are just arriving at Drexel?
A: Nadeem: Get involved, not only by going to events, but also by serving in leadership positions. Being on an executive board of an organization can change your whole experience. It affects you academically, because you make good connections, and that makes your personal and social life better. The connections you make with your colleagues and within your department at Drexel, they really last. I can’t think of a department we haven’t connected with in GSA, and it’s good to know people in different departments. That’s how I got to know that GSA has travel subsidies and Drexel Central had a whole webpage for funding international students.
A: Chewe: I always want to highlight mental health resources like the Counseling Center. Sometimes just talking to somebody is good, whether you’re going through something difficult or just want to learn how you can be successful in your program and beyond. Also, every time we have an event, there’s lots of free food, so if you’re looking for pizza, we have that, as well as resources.
Try to say yes to as many things as possible. The most important thing you get out of grad school is the connections you make with your professors, and Drexel professors are amazing. Every time my department says they’re having an event or need ambassadors, I try to say yes, and that’s what makes the Drexel experience so special.
I like to call it my fire truck philosophy. When I was in kindergarten, we went to the fire department, and everybody was having a good time on the fire truck and I was scared. But the best things in life come out of saying yes and being engaged, and the best parts of graduate school come from not just standing outside of that fire truck. Say yes more than no.