She’s felt a connection to Boston College her whole life. She’s a legacy who grew up merely 40 minutes from Chestnut Hill. Her mother graduated in 1998, and her grandfather worked on the janitorial staff. She knows every inch of campus—besides the Undergraduate Government of BC (UGBC). But that’s no deterrent for Taylor Jackson, MCAS ’21, who hopes her fresh eyes and outsider status will be an asset to her presidency.

Her running mate, Alejandro Perez, MCAS ’21, has believed in Jackson from the moment he met her.

Their paths crossed early in their first year at BC—Jackson and Perez met through BC’s Emerging Leader Program (ELP), a mentorship and development program which accepts 50 students during their freshman year. The two remained friends into their sophomore year, and when Jackson reached out to Perez with the opportunity to join her team, she had his unwavering vote of confidence.

“I was like, ‘Absolutely,’ no hesitation,” Perez said. “Because Taylor is someone who I look up to a lot. She has this large network of people who can really vouch for her throughout this campus. Everyone that I told I was running with Taylor Jackson, [was] like, ‘Taylor Jackson!’ They immediately knew who Taylor was.”