Cami Kulbieda was born a leader, at least in the eyes of her three younger sisters.
As the go-to spokesperson for her siblings, she learned to approach conflict and craft solutions that would best meet the diverse needs of her family.
“I was kind of the manager of my family,” said Kulbieda, LSEHD ’26. “Learning how to interact with other people, utilize empathy to understand different perspectives, and work on conflict resolution are all skills that I picked up from being part of a big family.”
But she didn’t leave her affinity for leadership at home in Pittsburgh.
Instead, Kulbieda has simply changed her approach—rather than falling into leadership positions, she is purposefully seeking them out. Now, her sights are set on becoming UGBC president, a role she believes holds the greatest potential to drive meaningful change at Boston College.
“I decided to run because I wanted to make the largest impact possible,” Kulbieda said.
What that impact entails has not been left up to students’ imagination.
Instead, Kulbieda and her running mate, Reagan Marino, MCAS ’26, have outlined their vision in an 18-page policy platform.
Throughout their campaign materials, the duo highlights a focus on addressing student needs and the ability to adapt to administrative setbacks.
“We don’t plan on any need going unaddressed,” Kulbieda said. “And if the first doesn’t work there’s always a plan B, and we’re not going to give up on that.”
This focus on students’ concerns ties back to the campaign’s three-word slogan: personalis, purpose, and progress.
“We chose those three words for a reason,” Kulbieda said. “We want every student to feel like they can come to us, give feedback, express a grievance, and know that we will be there for them to not only be a comforting, understanding, and empathic person in that moment, but also to know that after we notice, we will be taking action.”
Taking action is nothing new for either Kulbieda or Marino.
Kulbieda has served as a UGBC student senator for the past two years and is currently the chair of the academic affairs committee.
Although clinical and practicum experiences are a graduation requirement for students in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development and Connell School of Nursing, Kulbieda noticed that the University does not provide transportation to these sites.
“I saw an injustice where students were taking a big chunk of money out of pocket for something that they were required to do,” Kulbieda.
To tackle the issue, Kulbieda said she met with administrators across various offices and analyzed past data to strengthen her case. After a year and a half, a pilot program launched, providing CharlieCards to students with the highest level of financial need.
The program’s scope, though, differs from Kulbieda’s original plan, as transportation is only available to those who apply.
Kulbieda feels her work on the initiative is not yet complete.
“This is not where this ends,” Kulbieda said.
Despite certain challenges, Kulbieda said her experience in UGBC provided her with useful insights into what it means to advocate for change on BC’s campus.
“That experience working on that initiative over the last year and a half has really shown me the nuances of what initiative work looks like,” Kulbieda said.
Initiative work as a UGBC member often starts small, but, according to Kulbieda, this is all part of the process.
“They begin at these smaller levels so that we can collect that data, collect that demonstrated interest, and then from there work to really narrow down on what the need is,” Kulbieda said.
She emphasized that enacting change requires a lot more than just a good idea, especially when faced with administrative pushback.
“Important changes don’t happen overnight,” Kulbieda said. “It requires a certain level of dedication, persistence, and respect on every front to make the changes happen, especially when there are times when you’re being told ‘no.’”
Student leaders have to strike a delicate medium when dealing with these administrative challenges, according to Kulbieda and Marino.
“We recognize that there is a balance between developing and maintaining administrative relationships and also representing the student body’s needs and concerns when it matters and pushing back,” Kulbieda said.
Marino feels especially equipped to understand students’ needs. As a resident assistant at Messina College, Marino said he has prioritized building relationships with students.
“Every one of those students I care about,” Marino said. “I try and make it part of my regimen to be there for them, even just like going back and forth, no matter how hard it is.”
Through these relationships, Marino has gained a better understanding of students’ concerns. One common issue raised was the unreliability of the bus service between Brookline Campus and Chestnut Hill.
Advocating on their behalf, Marino was able to set up a van to shuttle students between campuses. Additionally, he passed legislation creating a second UGBC senate seat for Messina students when the second class arrives in the fall.
Kulbieda noticed the work Marino was putting in for his students, even though it sometimes flew under the radar.
“I had recognized that almost without anyone even noticing, he was delivering progress on his initiatives and also making genuine connections,” Kulbieda said.
Marino has brought his commitment to bringing student voices to the campaign table.
“A big thing in our campaign is outreach—getting what we’re doing out there so there’s no misconstruing of UGBC in general,” Marino said.
Many students feel they never see or recognize the work UGBC does. Kulbieda acknowledges this perception.
According to Kulbieda, there is a gap in transparency and accessibility in the programs, initiatives, and resources the organization has initiated.
“We know the work that goes on in UGBC,” Kulbieda said. “I can sit here and tell you everything that we do, everything we’ve accomplished this year, but at the end of the day, it only matters what the population is receiving.”
Will Cortes, MCAS ’28 and the campaign’s policy coordinator, also recognized that outreach was a problem for UGBC. He joined Kulbieda and Marino’s campaign to help change that narrative.
“They just felt that there was a lack of transparency and this idea that UGBC does nothing,” Cortes said. “We wanted to show students that we were there to advocate for them.”
Despite coming into the campaign as a freshman, Cortes said Kulbieda has not only listened to his ideas but also put them into action.
Cortes believes this speaks to Kulbieda’s willingness to accept feedback.
“She is very much a person who was going to be open to challenges,” Cortes said. “[She] has the strength to be president and never take no for an answer from administration.”
Anna Ziegler, campaign manager for Kulbieda and Marino and MCAS ’27, emphasized that Kulbieda has both the strength to take on this role and the doer mindset to make the most of it.
“She’s very, very driven and you can tell that she truly wants to make a difference on this campus,” Ziegler said. “And I know that she’s willing to put in any amount of hard work and dedication necessary to improve the lives of students.”
Ziegler pointed to Kulbieda’s attendance at every UGBC division meeting this past semester as evidence of her dedication.
This attendance record isn’t a coincidence, according to Cortes.
“For Cami and Reagen, being president and vice president is not an opportunity—it’s a commitment,” Cortes said.
Kulbieda hopes that students can recognize her devotion to building the UGBC she envisions—one that puts students at the forefront.
“The purpose of UGBC is to be a platform for advocacy, a platform for making change,” Kulbieda said. “But also it’s incredibly important that that is done in a way that is including students, representing students, and communicating to students.”
One way Kulbieda’s campaign seeks to address outreach issues is by expanding UGBC’s communications division from one to five representatives to effectively reach more students.
“Outreach for the sake of students really knowing what we’re doing and the ways we’re trying to serve them—not only for people to know, but to develop ways for them to know and meet them where they are,” Kulbieda said.
Kulbieda and Marino believe they are equipped with both the knowledge and the experience to take on outreach and other challenges that may be thrown their way as UGBC leaders.
“Our experience in the organization gives us that context to know what is working and what can be better,” Kulbieda said.
This knowledge will, in their view, help them to create meaningful change on the ground level.
“We plan to carry forward tangible action based upon the initiatives and programs that we want to see either continue, adapt, or create and make that progress one step at a time,” Kulbieda said.
Kulbieda and Marino believe these changes don’t come with dismantling what UGBC has built, but rather refining what’s already in place to better amplify student perspectives and prioritize individual needs.
“UGBC isn’t broken,” Kulbieda said. “But we can be better.”
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