Envisioned as a fun event to call attention to the importance of voting, the GCC Student Government Association Empowerment Expo kicked off March 20 with music, food and photo booth to capture the moment. 

The Expo was designed to attract a diverse student population to the Curran Community Center and deliver an experience to transform their ideas on voting by bringing in speakers like local attorney Michael Anthony Jefferson, a long-time community activist and former radio talk show host. Jefferson has held many titles, including being selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in the state by the NAACP Connecticut State Conference. Resource booths at the Expo provided students with the chance to register to vote, learn about environmental groups and educational opportunities, and offered information about GCC clubs, organizations and services.

Creating excitement centered on the importance of voting seemed like a tall order for anyone, but GCC Student Government Association President Monica Maldonado felt it was doable. Bringing in a DJ, raffles and food would entice students to come through the door, but with passionate speeches by Jefferson, Kenneth S. Silva Ballard of SRI Investing in New York City and Elona Vaisnys, Ph.D., a member of the League of Women Voters, Maldonado felt sure that the students would stay. Hundreds of students stopped in throughout the four-hour event and CSCU President Mark Ojakian was there to lend his support.

“The fun aspect was just getting people in the door,” said Maldonado, who worked tirelessly to spread the word about the event, whether hand-delivering invitations to politicians throughout the state, making calls, or speaking to students on the Fairway to spread the message.

Maldonado noted that four-hour wait times to cast a vote in New Haven on Election Day negatively affected how students felt about voting. The Expo aimed to transform those ideas, get students thinking about participating in the electoral process and the power behind each dollar they spend, and ease the process of Election Day registration at New Haven City Hall.