Though he was never involved in student government before coming to college, Sagar K. Ravi felt compelled to participate when he arrived at WUSTL.
“I did a Student Union pre-orientation before freshmen year that taught me about what it means to be in student government at WUSTL,” said Ravi, president of the senior class and today’s student Commencement speaker. “Student government here really gives students the ability to have an impact.
“The University provides the independence for students to take on responsibility. The class council decides what to do, how to do it and where the money will be spent. That autonomy really helps motivate students to action.”
Ravi, from Charleston, Ill., is a double major in political science and in Spanish, both in Arts & Sciences. He will be graduating summa cum laude and will attend law school at Columbia University in the fall.
Interaction with other students and with faculty made a big impact on his academic career at WUSTL, and he plans to talk about that in today’s address.
“At this university, we don’t just learn about the world on a purely academic or individual basis,” he said. “We learn more on a collective level, interacting with each other not only in the classroom but also outside it.
“It’s this culture of caring that really separates us from other institutions.”
As senior class president, Ravi was involved in many projects aimed at increasing class unity.
“Often, when students think about senior-year events, they think about Senior Week, the big party at the end,” he said. “As class president, I wanted to create a year of celebration and class unity. I didn’t want the class council to be there just in the final weeks.”
To that end, the class council hosted numerous events throughout the year, including picnics, monthly senior nights out, a class trip to Memphis, Tenn., roller-skating outings, alumni networking events and even a late-night senior event at Bear’s Den to allow seniors to relive some University memories.
The council also planned a transition series with The Career Center to inform seniors about how to dress for a job interview, buy a car and rent an apartment, among other topics.
In addition to his studies, Ravi was involved in student government for three years, served as co-founder of the Mr. WashU Executive Committee, worked as a residential adviser and teaching assistant for two years, was involved with Ashoka, the Indian student association, and was named Outstanding Junior in Political Science.
He also spent many hours helping to plan the first Chancellor’s Dinner for Graduating Seniors, which was held May 16 at America’s Center in downtown St. Louis.
“Sagar and the entire senior class council have been extremely helpful in planning the dinner for more than 1,100 seniors,” said Jim Burmeister, executive director of University relations and Commencement. “It would have been much more difficult without their help.”
Ravi has thoroughly enjoyed his time at the University.
“More than anything, my experience here has given me the confidence to follow what I believe is right,” he said. “I have had so many great experiences in leadership, academics and socially.
“These experiences have all come together to teach me about myself and also what I’m looking to accomplish in my life. It’s really interesting to look back from freshman year to now and see how people have changed, including myself.”