One of the younger candidates for treasurer of the Yale College Council, Kwabena Boateng ’14 has not been part of the YCC or FCC this year.
His response to why he would make a better candidate than his opponents was focused precisely on his advantage as an outsider.
“Having worked in other college councils would seemingly give [my opponents] the experience factor, but that doesn’t necessarily give them an adequate perspective to deal with students,” Boateng said. “They lack that outsider perspective.”
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However, Boateng was involved in student council throughout high school, and understands the responsibility the treasurer position entails.
Boateng added that he wants to invest in projects that improve [students’] quality of life, including increasing storage space for international students.
He plans to organize monthly meetings open to the student body to give students an opportunity to voice their concerns directly to the YCC.
While Boateng, or “Kwabs”, as his friends call him, was born in the United States, he was raised in Ghana for first five years of his life.
He said this experience has influenced his life and that he still maintains his cultural values, allowing him to have a “worldly perspective.”
“Having immigrant parents gives me a greater outlook on life,” Boateng said. “I have seen poverty first hand, but I have also seen mansions in New England.”
When asked to describe himself outside of the political realm, Boateng said that he likes cracking jokes and serving as comic relief to his friends.
For example, Boateng said he likes “getting in the common room and dancing in my underpants and hoping that others will join.”
The candidate’s roommate Austin Czarnecki ’14 said that while the first impression of Boateng is light-hearted and comical, he is also reliable and very good at managing his time.
Czarnecki that Boateng had called him one week before school started, and that Boateng’s humor kept him on the phone for 20 minutes during a family dinner.
“When we got on campus, he seemed to be the guy who knew everyone,” Czarnecki said.