Emma Asher
Meet Mariam Jallow CC’25 (she/her), president of the 2024–25 Columbia College Student Council Executive Board. A history major from Portland, Ore., Jallow has been a member of CCSC all four years of college, serving as freshman class president, sophomore class president, VP of finance for the Executive Board and now president. CCSC organizes and funds campus life events, contributes to University policy changes and communicates with the student body on a host of issues; its members are elected to be representatives on CC students’ behalf.
How did you get involved with CCSC?
I was on student council all during high school, so when I came to college, I thought, “I definitely can’t do this again, because this was my thing during high school.” But some of my closest friends during NSOP approached me and said, “Hey, you look like someone who did student council in high school; you should definitely run!” So I decided to run, and from there, it’s been great. It’s something I never would have imagined myself doing, but I’m so grateful that I was pushed to do it.
What is your favorite part about being involved with CCSC?
My favorite part is definitely seeing how impactful the work we do is. It’s very gratifying to see students reap the benefits of things we’ve done, like the pass-fail options that we implemented during Covid-19 or making student life easier for FGLI [first-generation, low-income] students. It’s nice to see friends and classmates benefit from our work.
What would you like other students to know about CCSC?
Two things: One is that people on CCSC really, really care about the school and about the well-being of students. So if any student has concerns, thoughts, ideas — we’re always there for them, and we’re super eager and excited to hear from them. The second is that if anybody wants to join CCSC, it’s a great experience. I would say that it’s quite literally like a family to me. At first I thought it would just be all business, but these are the people I can go to with any problems. I’ve had great mentorship from people older than I am who have helped me get into the position that I’m in today, and now I like to give back by mentoring people younger than I am.
What are some things you are looking forward to as CCSC president?
I’m looking forward to building community. I think a lot of students are very excited for the events we’ll have, whether they’re freshmen just coming to the College or seniors in their last year. A really popular event we’re doing again is CC Takes on Slate, which is when we rent the Slate nightclub on Halloween night for all CC students. We’re making it even bigger and better this year, so I’m really excited for that! We’re also trying to make things easier for students in terms of housing, accommodations and dining, so I’m looking forward to the student services parts of the job as well. I also hope we’re going to be able to integrate some of our events with alumni events in order to build community there.
What’s been your favorite class at Columbia, and why?
“U.S. Intellectual History, 1865–Present,” with Professor Casey Blake. I learned so much about the United States and I have such a better contextual understanding of how the world around me works thanks to that course.
What do you like to do outside of class and CCSC?
Whenever a professor recommends a talk or event that’s happening on campus, I’ll try to go. I want to fully take advantage of the college experience and be able to hear experts speak on all sorts of things.
How do you like to take advantage of being in New York City?
I make an effort to get off campus whenever I can. My friends and I have coined the term “CPM,” which is “Central Park Moment.” Whenever we feel like we’ve been on campus too long and it’s a nice day, we’ll text our group chats, “CPM today?” and we’ll all go to Central Park. It’s so nice to be able to just breathe in New York City.