A homegrown NegOrense leads the highly prestigious Princeton University Undergraduate Student Government (USG) as its president. Enzo Miguel Kho, who comes from Mabinay, Negros Oriental, won over his fellow contender, 1,446-1,244, capturing a total of 54 percent of ballots cast.
In what was described as an “unusual split-ticket win,” Kho, who is finishing his studies by 2026, shares the helm with the elected vice-president, Aishwarya Swamidurai, who is from a different party, and winning just over 51 percent of votes.
Kho and Swamidurai told The Daily Princetonian that “they look forward to collaborating over their shared ideas and compromising over differences.”
The university campus paper quoted Kho: “I’m confident that Aishwarya and I share the same goal and vision: to serve the student body to the best of our abilities. We’ll connect soon, but I don’t anticipate any concerns, as we’ve already built a strong working relationship within the USG Senate.” Kho added: “Her consistent participation in our weekly Executive Committee meetings and her volunteer efforts in numerous social committee events of ours reflect her dedication and commitment.”
The elections at Princeton University is rigorous with students not just voting for their preferred candidates, but also putting in their preferences of relevant issues to be addressed through referenda. Some of these issues are: improvement of employment standards for undergraduate workers; endowment divesting of the university from companies involved in weapons manufacturing; dissociating from fossil fuels companies; and, to allow language classes to be taken, graded either “pass” or “fail.”
“I am looking forward to advocating for policy changes at the university and beginning to implement our platform initiatives,” expressed Kho, who previously served as the USG Social Committee chair, where he led many events. Kho envisions his administration’s focus to be on “sustained advocacy and ongoing discussions around the issues passed in the referenda.”
Princeton University trains its students to be socially conscious and vigilant. Kho said that his administration expects to work closely with top university administrators and other groups involved, ensuring the issues don’t die down.
To say the least, Kho is expectedly overwhelmed by this honor. “Coming from a small town in Negros Oriental where no one had even gone abroad for college, being at Princeton itself has always felt like a dream come true. But now, being entrusted to represent the voices of some of the brightest minds and future change makers in the world – it’s beyond anything I ever imagined,” gushed Kho.
As a student in his home province, Kho confessed he was not academically nor socially inclined when he first set foot in Dumaguete City in 2013. But, his childhood experiences and background sparked his sense of social consciousness and vigilance, which is essential especially during these times.
Kho studied in his hometown Mabinay for his elementary grades, then went to Holy Cross High School and to Silliman University Senior High School before applying for a scholarship in the United States. | NWI
