Student Body Presidents - Where are they now?

Student government representatives vote during a student government meeting.

Whether it was known as Student Union, Student Assembly or the current Student Government Association, the student governing board at Franklin has always had an inspiring student body president. The student body president is the person who has the large task of introducing and championing campus initiatives and helping a diverse group of students work together on a common goal. Here are the stories of three past presidents of the Franklin student body, including what their time at Franklin and as president taught them and what they have done since graduation.

 
Deena Bougary ’98
Student Body President 1997-1998

Deena and her husband, Nasser Mahdi.

When Deena Bougary ’98 heard about a position at the first private college for women in Saudi Arabia, Effat University, she jumped at the chance. “I knew working there would be making history,” says Deena. “I would never get this chance twice.” 

The university was just getting established in Jeddah, Deena’s hometown, when she began working after graduating from Franklin. She put in long hours, filling in wherever needed along with other members of a small staff to enable the university to open its doors for the first time in the 1999-2000 academic year. Deena took on the position of Assistant in Student Affairs and, among other things, established the school’s student government system. She felt completely in her element setting up the protocols, rules, ballots and cabinet meetings for the new student government and teaching others to do so after having served as student body president herself during her senior year at Franklin.

Deena’s time as student body president presented challenges, especially when she tried to implement a ban on smoking indoors, something that she paved the way for which led to later presidents’ success. Even not succeeding in that endeavor was valuable to Deena. “It taught me that when you know that you are right and working for the common good, you should go full power because you will be remembered only for what you did, not for what you did not do,” she says.

Coming from a conservative Saudi Arabian background, Deena’s father chose for her to come to Franklin so she could be at a close distance in a safe and cultured country. Deena says, “That was the best gift he has ever given me other than his unconditional love and support.”

Deena fondly remembers a few mishaps such as having her car towed in Milan and trying to cover up a friend’s motorcycle crash in Santorini during Professor McCormick’s Greece Academic Travel. She cherishes special moments like sky diving, bonding with people of other cultures in the Grotto and her professors who still treat her as if she left only yesterday when she visits campus. She is grateful for the life lessons she learned during her time at Franklin.

Deena covered the globe on her Academic Travels, going to Sicily, Chicago, Atlanta, Greece, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Kenya, Rome and the south of Italy during her time here. She says, “Franklin has widened my horizons, opened my mind, made me embrace other cultures and religions; there is no book that could teach me what Academic Travel has taught me.”

 

Chris Ivan Cevic ’99
Student Body President 1998-1999

Chris, right, poses for an "Old Hollywood" photo shoot that Luther Gerlach, a world renowned photographer who uses the original glass plate method of photography used during the Civil War Era, shot on Hollywood Boulevard. Each photo taken took about 20 minutes to shoot and develop on location. The rough edges you see in the photo are due to the inconsistencies in how the chemicals coat the glass during the developing process.

Chris Ivan Cevic '99 uses the quote, “There are many things in life that catch your eye, but only a few that catch your heart...pursue those,” as his personal mantra and has ended up pursuing his passion, the film industry, after a few false starts in less artistically creative jobs.

Chris came to Franklin as a study abroad, and he notes his decision to transfer to Franklin College from the University of Florida as a turning point in his life. At Franklin, he not only gained a broader appreciation for the world, but also opened his eyes to being a global citizen. While at Franklin, Chris became involved in student government and served as the student body president in his senior year. During his time as  president, Chris wanted to honor the internationalism that was so important to the character of the College and undertook the “flag project,” an initiative to represent every nationality in Franklin’s student body by displaying each country’s flag.

Besides remembering his time as student body president, Chris can easily recall other   influential Franklin moments, including his final Academic Travel to Namibia with Professor Flutti and the fateful day when he, on a whim, decided to try out for the school play, which gave rise to  his love of the stage and acting.

Although he had a passion for acting, after graduation Chris moved to New York City to work in the financial sector to put his degree in International Finance and Banking to work. He easily found a job, but he was not able to use any of his creative energy in his daily duties. “While living in New York, I found myself in the similar grind of life, working exhausting hours and longing for the creative outlet of acting,” says Chris. Not yet ready to make a total career switch, he moved to internet marketing. The internet boom became a bust and Chris lost his job, which gave him the opportunity to return to the stage.

Chris moved to Los Angles to pursue his dreams in both acting and producing. He founded his own company, Burnt Pictures, a full-service film and video production company; he now serves as president and head of development. Burnt Pictures aims to produce at least one feature film a year for the next three years and wants to expand to television production as well. 

“Filmmaking can be very difficult; it takes a strong team,” says Chris. “My experience at Franklin definitely taught me how to take the lead and get everyone to face the same direction and goal with the intention to produce a quality product.”  Chris credits his acting skills to his life experiences and exposure to different cultures at Franklin. “Without constantly talking to the entire student body, I don’t think I would have the same insights as I do now,” he says.

Chris has produced three films and acted in six in the past year alone. He also writes on the side, with a dream to one day direct. To take a closer look at his projects check out his website: www.chrisivancevic.com.

 

Chad Wesen ’04
Student Body President 2003-2004

Chad tries his hand at a horse and cart while on assignment in Moldova as a Peace Corps volunteer.

When Chad Wesen ’04 graduated from Franklin with a degree in International Relations and International Economics, he already knew that he was going to enter the Peace Corps. Having accepted his assignment a month before graduating, Chad started his assignment in the Republic of Moldova shortly after.

Having grown up on a dairy farm in the state of Washington, Chad was very familiar with agricultural economics and perfectly suited for his role as a Peace Corps agribusiness volunteer. While on assignment in Moldova, Chad not only helped improve profitability of agribusiness, he also organized sports, reading programs and summer camps for children. During that time, Chad learned the language and took the Foreign Service exam in hopes of continuing his international relations work.

After his two-year assignment in the Peace Corps was finished, Chad returned to his home state to work as a regional recruiter for the Peace Corps’ Seattle office but soon was looking for a change. “I decided I liked project management, something I had done as a volunteer, more than I liked human resources, so I took a job in Washington, D.C., working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, managing small agricultural projects in their Foreign Agricultural Service,” says Chad. In the meantime, his application to become a Foreign Service Office with the Department of State was approved. In September 2009, Chad was commissioned as a Junior Political Officer in the Foreign Service. Today, his assignment working in the Office of Russian Affairs provides him with daily opportunities to use the leadership experience he gained as student body president during his senior year at Franklin.

Chad became involved in student government at Franklin almost as soon as he arrived on campus, and becoming president was a natural progression for him. He says, “Working in student government helped me develop the skills necessary to forge compromises between very different groups of people with different interests.”

Among the initiatives Chad worked on while student body president were Swiss accreditation of the College, Presidential Forums with students about the state of the College, the opening of the Falcon’s Nest as a new student space and the banning of smoking in Ben’s Den, an issue previous presidents had worked on which enabled Chad to make the final successful push.“I was fortunate to have a very active group of people in student government to work with, which allowed us to accomplish a great deal,” says Chad.

Another pivotal event that led Chad to work with and understand different cultures while he was at Franklin was experiencing 9/11 only a few weeks after arriving on campus. Arabic Night that year was particularly memorable. “Having direct exposure to Arab culture definitely gave me perspective on the events of that year that many of my friends in the U.S. didn’t have,” says Chad.

While at Franklin, Chad enjoyed getting to know professors on a personal level regardless of whether he needed their help in class. He still cites examples from Professor Parsons when describing Switzerland to Americans or draws on freshman year Russian Literature taught by Professor McCormick in his discussions with Russians and stays in touch with many of the College’s teachers.

When choosing a college, Chad says that Franklin “seemed like a good idea at the time” and credits it for his career in international relations, a goal  he most likely would not have pursued had he not attended Franklin.

March 2010