Hobart and William Smith Colleges

3 August 2023 Brown ’24 Goes “All In” for Campus Democracy

For her dedication to increase voter engagement and turnout, Samari Brown ’24 has been named to the All In Campus Democracy Challenge Honor Roll.

Student Trustee and Co-President of HWS Votes Samari Brown ’24 is one of only 175 students nationwide to be named to the All In Campus Democracy Challenge Student Voting Honor Roll. The honor roll recognizes student leaders who “have gone above and beyond to advance nonpartisan student voter registration, education and turnout efforts in their communities.

An English and sociology double-major, Brown has served as the Co-President of HWS Votes since 2022. During her tenure, HWS Votes has been recognized as one of the 384 Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting. During the fall 2022 semester, Brown helped lead efforts to register students to vote for that year’s midterm elections, including National Voter Registration Day pop-up events, Faculty Lunch Series presentations and more than 40 classes and student organization visits.

Brown says her most rewarding experience so far was kicking off an HWS conversation between Republican Chris Christie and Democrat James Carville at the Stern Family Forum two weeks before the 2022 midterms.

Looking ahead to the 2023-24 academic year and election calendar, Brown says: “This year, as we all know, is a big year — we have the 2024 presidential election. In the fall, I want to prioritize preparing all students for the election with the resources and support that they need to participate in this democratic process.”

In addition to her leadership with HWS and as a Student Trustee on the HWS Board of Trustees, Brown is a Writing Colleague, an assistant in the William Smith Dean’s Office and an intern in the Office of Advancement. She has served as a research assistant for the Theatre Department in 2021 and been a part of numerous productions with the HWS Theatre Department, most recently starring in Fault Lines.

After graduation, Brown plans to apply to AmeriCorps and provide service to the Geneva community.

Learn more about HWS Votes.

Pictured above, HWS Votes co-leaders Kate Equinozzi ’23 and Samari Brown ’24 paint the windows to promote National Voter Registration Day.