Editor’s Note: Sarah Regan went out in search of the real FUSA president. When I searched for Jessica DiBuono ’06 on thefacebook.com, I found a slightly unexpected picture of shirtless Justin Timberlake. “I love JT,” she said, when she was asked about herself. That’s one side of the new FUSA President. Another side was revealed to me as soon as I met her in Jazzman’s one afternoon. As I approached her, she was conversing with a classmate and greeting many of those around her with a smile and a laugh. “I went on a retreat with Jess this semester, she is probably one the friendliest and nicest girls on campus,” said Meghan Toumey ’07. DiBuono was sworn in as FUSA president on April 24 and will remain in that position until this time next year. DiBuono laughed to herself as she explained the campaign and how her friends contributed. “My friends liked to joke that they forgot to vote,” she said. This did not surprise DiBuono. Her friends knew the reaction they would get from her. “They would call me the day of the election and be like, ‘Yeah, Jess, I can’t vote. Sorry,'” said Dibuono. “Every time, I fell for it. Some thought it’d be funny to tell me they forgot I was running and didn’t vote for the president position at all or that the lever above my name got stuck and they weren’t allowed to vote.” But DiBuono understood the humor in it all. “It was pretty funny to hear them all,” she said. Although DiBuono feels that her FUSA presidency will have many “hurdles” to overcome, she “cannot wait to do it all.” She has been involved in FUSA since her freshmen year and, as time went on, she began to see what it was about this extracurricular that she really liked, “representing the student body.” As she experienced additional parts of this intricate group working together, she realized there was a missing link. Each different group needed to connect more and this was where she came in. “I love programming the events,” she said. “I would be a good voice to get the attention that is needed.” Many individuals also want to be heard all around campus, and DiBuono feels that “the more students involved, the more voices to hear.” DiBuono wants to see in her presidency more clubs working together and therefore communicating better. When DiBuono was declared winner of the FUSA presidency, she ran around to many dorm rooms knocking on doors with applications for FUSA positions. “I want more people to be involved,” she said. “I think Jess will be great next year,” said Toumey. “I think she’ll really be in touch with what the students want.” DiBuono’s parents supplied her with ample encouragement for her FUSA career, especially when she decided to run for presidency. “They were excited and told me not to be worried about the outcome either way. They are really supportive,” said DiBuono. DiBuono says she is “always thinking about the next step.” That is how she came into the role as FUSA president. After gaining initial experience in FUSA, DiBuono realized that she would enjoy doing something like running for president. Perhaps she is that missing link in the FUSA communication interaction chain. DiBuono is not a born politician. She does not exactly see herself going in that direction in the future. Therefore, it was understandable that running was not an automatic next step in her FUSA career. At first, DiBuono said she was “so scared.” “Everyone said ‘you have to have a tough skin,'” she said. Now after winning this election, she is currently sifting through a huge stack of well-qualified applications for various FUSA positions. As someone always looking to the next step, she wants to attend graduate school, earn a degree in higher education and become a dean. After seeing the way that a Jesuit school is run, DiBuono said she likes the Jesuit atmosphere. There is “a feeling of responsibility on the part of the administration,” she said. This is something DiBuono said she could see herself being a part of.
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