Taelor Nielson, a junior in International Studies, and her running mate CeeJay Berg, a junior in Accounting and Economics, are running for the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW) President and Vice President. Their campaign platform is to largely reform current ASUW practices to make real change in rebuilding lost connections from the pandemic and bringing resources to struggling students.
“We don’t want to be just another cook in the kitchen,” Nielson said.
The duo decided to run together after building a strong connection during their time in ASUW. Nielson works as the ASUW Director of Governmental and Community Affairs and Berg is the ASUW Director of Finance and Student Organizations.
“Taelor and I always had a silent admiration for each other,” Berg said. “I was really impressed by her involvement on campus.”
Berg said she became close with Nielson collaborating on projects for financial literacy month, where they spend a lot of time together and realized they hold similar ideals.
Nielson said, “Throughout the semester, I constantly saw CeeJay putting in significantly more hours than what was asked of her because she really wanted to see change.”
Nielson is originally from Burley, ID and has taken a strong interest in Middle Eastern and Northern African politics. As for hobbies, Nielson likes to travel around close to Laramie to be in nature. Her future ambition is to provide proper support for Arab communities in the United States or within the Middle East, perhaps post-conflict societies. She is also considering law school, to study international law, or a getting master’s degree in public administration.
Berg is from Rock Springs, WY. Berg is the President of Economics club and likes to sing and attend theatrics in her free time. Berg got an internship in accounting for the summer, and is deciding between earning her CPA or going to law school at UW.
Nielson and Berg expressed frustrations that not enough change was being done in past and current administrations.
“That’s where Taelor and I stand out from the rest of the candidates,” Berg said. “We don’t just have goals but we act on them. We have already taken steps towards these goals in our current roles.”
Specifically, Nielson and Berg hope to focus on accountability, approachability and activism if elected. They plan on having roundtable discussions with student organizations to talk with students about what they want and need, and bring resources to them directly.
On the theme of activism, Nielson emphasized rebuilding connections ASUW and the rest of the student body has lost due to the pandemic. She said she also wants to heal the political rifts on campus, which has posed as a barrier for enacting policies and threatened UW’s sense of community.
Nielson and Berg noted if they win they would be the second all women ticket for ASUW in a row. Before the current administration, Talamantes and Titus, the last time that happened was during World War II.
Nielson and Berg both said being an all-women ticket has posed as a challenge because people question their legitimacy, but they hope to continue to prove to UW administration and the student body woman can and should be in leadership.
