Joel Omolade has never been known to settle for anything less than great. He seeks to improve every system, organization, and space that he’s a part of. When he says “Better starts now,” he means it. When casting your vote for the next Tufts Community Union president, take a second to consider the candidate who turns words into action.
Since beginning his journey in the TCU Senate as outreach chair last school year, he has been a changemaker. Previously this role was undervalued and only used for emails and some Instagram posts so Senate’s presence was underrepresented on campus, but Joel’s touch increased visibility through social media, town halls and engaging events. Class of 2024 Senator Hadiya Giwa said that “Joel came in as a pioneer who completely transformed the committee,” as before him, “the outreach committee on TCU Senate primarily focused on making promotional flyers.” He completely revitalized and revamped the Outreach Committee through a multitude of projects: creating the “What You Missed” posts to foster transparency between the Senate and the student body, creating a town hall series featuring Tufts administrators as panelists, creating a menstrual equity map to highlight free products on campus, among many more outreach initiatives.
He has continued his work in the Senate as the chief diversity officer and chair of the Committee on Community, Diversity, and Inclusion. Joel gave the role a completely new light by hosting events and bridging communities: He launched the inaugural CCDI Week spotlighting community senators and their work and co-hosted the CCDI Town Hall to foster dialogue between community senators and their constituents, creating a way to bridge all of the different communities on campus through TCU Senate’s first-ever coalition of the Intercultural Council, and much more. The list of how much Joel has contributed to the Tufts community seems endless: he truly is for the people.
It’s not a coincidence that every role Joel steps into becomes transformed– his hard work and dedication set an outstanding example of what a student leader should do. From being the president of the Resident Assistant Union to captaining his nationally ranked Mock Trial team, he continues to be a natural leader in spaces outside of the TCU Senate as well. The RA union only recently became recognized. Through active protests and conversations with administration, Joel was in the middle of it all. His advocacy skills helped the union with their contract and he used his expert dialogue skills to help facilitate difficult conversations. As he will be the first acting official president of the RA union, he does not shy away from uncharted paths and has already made strides to ensure that each student worker feels respected and valued in their roles. Going into this year, Joel continues to emphasize that he wants to start changing systems now. His goal is for this to be a collective effort through conversations with other student leaders so that he can transform spaces expeditiously. This approach to change making contributes to his effectiveness that Joel has had thus far.
His most recent venture of joining COCOA, an African competitive dance team, shows that he loves to be in community in various forms. Fellow senator and COCOA member Lexis Lokko said, “Each day he arrives with a big radiant smile ready to engage and learn… Joel has grown tremendously, quickly becoming a trusted source of guidance and a role model for others in the group.” Even in spaces meant to be relaxing, Joel can’t help but shine as a genuine leader. He is always cracking jokes or breaking out in song which brightens each atmosphere he engages with. Especially in those long Sunday night Senate meetings, everyone appreciated his lighthearted spirit after dense discussions or difficult decision making. His “sense of humor undoubtedly adds a refreshing and welcoming atmosphere,” Thy Nguyen, the Asian American community senator, said.
Nguyen along with other TCU members can attest to Joel’s leadership within the Senate and beyond. Disability Community Senator Amelia Farrar, who is also on Mock Trial with Joel, highlights his responsiveness, stating, “I sent every single question or concern I had his way, and … he answered each and every single one.” Trustee Representative Laure Mandiamy commends Joel’s dedication to amplifying diverse voices as he makes space for others to grow and ensures “that [their] voice is valuable.” Joel goes above and beyond with his leadership skills to make sure each voice is heard and uplifts those who also aim to make change in the Senate and various other spaces.
As TCU President, Joel would take the necessary steps to turn his visions into reality. Representing his commitment to combatting sexual assault, he would create a Survivor’s Bill of Rights that outlines the rights guaranteed to survivors by the university, as well as the responsibilities of administration and campus organizations so survivors know where to turn. To promote inclusion and diversity on campus, he would establish an athletic liaison between the Tufts Athletic Council and Senate, create a Student Advocacy Committee that would focus on open dialogue concerning campus and world issues. Joel is well versed in creating bridges for communication and in his Chief Diversity Officer role, other senators can see that it is a priority for him to continue to “foster a collaborative and inclusive environment,” as mentioned by Senator Nguyen. Joel wants to continue his work to institute non-threatening emergency TUPD officers for non-violent calls, work to develop a free STI Testing Program, and increase the availability of medication on campus. In a nutshell, Joel hopes to boost accessibility and equity at Tufts. In Joel’s vision for the future, Tufts University is a community where everyone is heard, seen, and understood, and their personal visions are put first.
Joel doesn’t just believe in advocacy, he lives it. His joy is genuine, his love is real, and won’t just speak for you — he’ll empower you so that you can speak for yourself in the places where it matters. Joel has brought joy and ease to Senate, where after an eight-hour meeting, he’ll still be singing an off-key song and doing a silly dance in the front of the room to keep the energy and enthusiasm high. About this, Senator Hadiya writes, “The way he’s able to capture a room with his charisma and friendly personality makes him a warm person to be around. Joel has a unique talent for not only infusing a room with laughter through his humor and infectious laugh but also for demonstrating profound care and insight towards our Tufts community. I’m so proud of him and can’t wait to see him soar even higher.” Joel doesn’t just believe in Senate’s projects — he is willing to go to all lengths to make progress and will fight for the people. If you’ve met him once on campus, you’ll remember him for a lifetime.
We implore you all to consider Joel as your TCU president. Better starts now. Better starts with Joel Omolade.
Tolulope Adewumi serves as the Africana community senator and TCU parliamentarian. Brendan French serves as a Class of 2027 senator and assistant treasurer on the Allocations Board. Alexander Vang serves as the FIRST community senator.
Contributors were Thy Nguyen, Asian American community senator; Amelia Farrar, disability community senator; Hadiya Giwa, Class of 2024 senator; and Laure Mandiamy, academic affairs trustee representative.
