Meet the Volunteers

Hear from some of the Hofstra students volunteering at Debate 2012.

CHRISTI KUNZIG

Law School 2ND Year
(B.A, Communications, Hofstra '11)
Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity
Hometown: Bethpage, NY

Having the debate at Hofstra is an amazing way for students to get involved and gives them more of an incentive to be informed about the candidates and their respective platforms. I will be volunteering in the media and communications operations, and it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I'll remember forever. It's definitely going to make my resume stand out more than it does already.

MELAINE MORGAN

Junior
Major: Radio Production/Minor: Drama
Entertainment Unlimited, The Chronicle, Hofstra Concerts
Hometown: Huntington Station, NY

As a transfer student in my first semester at Hofstra, I am so excited about the upcoming debate. I plan on attending most, if not all, of the Debate2012 events because I want to take advantage of the opportunities that are being presented to me. In particular, I'm looking forward to Dr. Cornel West's lecture because he stands for some of the things that I truly believe in. Having the debate here opens the eyes of students who may not have paid much attention to politics prior to attending the university and educates them about issues so they become more aware of what is going on in the world, politically, and really understand the power of their vote.

RYAN DENAULT

First Year
Major: Finance
Hometown: Wilbraham, MA

I think the debate is a great opportunity for the Hofstra community to be involved and learn about the presidential candidates. As a first year student I volunteered for the debate because it's a chance to meet other students. I'll be working event operations and satellite.

NICOLE SPENCER

Junior
Majors: Political Science and Global Studies / Minor: History
Hofstra's Women's Rugby, Hall Council, Spectrum Players, Masquerade Musical Theatre, Office of Events Management Audio Visual Services.
Hometown: Bolingbrook, IL

I remember watching the live '08 Debate broadcast from Hofstra while I was in high school and thinking, That's the school I want to be at. Now I'm here and I have the chance to be a part of this debate. I'm looking forward to the different speakers that Hofstra will be hosting leading up to the debate because they will show students different ways of thinking about the issues, and really help prepare us to vote and choose a candidate in an educated manner. As someone who wants to work for the United Nations one day, I think my experience as a debate volunteer will give me the professional skills I need to work in an environment where it will be crucial for me to remain politically neutral.

ALYSSA LEGNETTI

Junior
Major: Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences / Minor: Neuroscience
Hometown: Jamison, PA

One of the main reasons I wanted to volunteer was to become more politically aware. I felt like I wanted and needed to know more. Not many people can say that they went to a university that hosted a Presidential Debate, let alone one that hosted two! My sister told me that being a volunteer for the 2008 Debate was the best thing she did at Hofstra. I think the Debate in 2008 was definitely part of what drew me to Hofstra. I remember looking at all of her pictures and talking to her on the phone after the Debate was over, and she was just so excited! I knew that if any place could make her that proud, then it was definitely somewhere that I should be applying.

ALEXIS DIGREGORIO

Junior
Major: Theatre Performance /
Minor: Television/Film

VENESSA TROFA

Freshman

LAWRENCE DAVES

Senior
Major: Liberal Arts

GEORGE CALVO

Sophomore
Major: Math and Computer Science
Hofstra's Hope for Humanity, Discovery Club, Computer Science Club
Hometown: Farmingdale, NY

The debate gives me a chance to be a better citizen because I'm learning so much about politics. Students get so many opportunities to be involved in the Hofstra community, and volunteering provides a great way to meet people and network in an awesome environment with all my peers.

OLIVIER ANDRE

Sophomore
Major: Computer Science
Hofstra CSTEP (Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program)
Hometown: Elmont, NY

I'm an American but lived in Haiti until two years ago when I came to Hofstra. In Haiti, the democratic process is extremely different from that in the United States. Now I have the chance to be more informed through a behind-the-scenes experience at the debate and all the election-related events here on campus. I plan to attend the Simpson/Bowles event (former Sen. Alan K. Simpson and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, co-chairmen of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform) on the debt and deficit crisis because the state of the economy is a scary issue that I think my generation will be deeply affected by if something is not done.

COURTNEY MCKAIN

Junior
Major: TV/Video and Film
Resident Assistant in Bill of Rights, Phi Sigma Sigma
Hometown: Pottstown, PA

I had heard so many great things about Debate '08, so I was really glad to hear that we would get to host another one. I think Hofstra sometimes goes out of its way to make sure students get the best college experience they can; the debate has proven this in my mind. Hofstra could have been happy with just hosting the Debate '08 but now more students get to experience it. I'm excited to just soak everything up. Campus is going to be filled with excitement and the atmosphere will be an experience all itself. It will be cool to say that the President has been at my school. I've never been into politics, but this is forcing me to know what's going on in the world.

ATHRAJA DE SILVA

Sophomore
Major: Economics, Global Studies and Geography
Hofstra University International Students Club (H*INT), South Asian Students Organization, Paw Pals
Hometown: Colombo, Sri Lanka

As an international student, having traveled thousands of miles away for the sake of my education, it would be useless if I do not gain more knowledge of the place where I now am. With the debate here, it is foremost an educational opportunity for me to experience what US politics entails firsthand, and identify where my own nation stands in terms of compatibility with the US. Hopefully by making that comparison I could learn something that would better advance my country in the future. Hofstra is a very diverse campus and the amalgamation of students stretches from East to West. Furthermore the students are always kept in the loop when it comes to any useful opportunity that may present itself to them. An example is the Debate, which allows students to volunteer in a capacity that only few are entitled to – and the fact that it's not limited to a particular group of people such as only US citizens, but allows for any and all to try out for a chance to be a part of it is something I appreciate very much.

SEAN DOONAN

Senior
Major: Drama
Hofstra University RSR Supervisor

ELISA TANG

Sophomore
Major: Broadcast Journalism

ALLISON KAMEN

Major: English, Speech and Rhetoric