From a distance, Bianca Baldassarre looks like an unassuming UMB freshman, but once she starts talking about herself, it is evident that she is very self-motivated.

In an interview with the Mass Media, Baldassarre explained that she grew up in Clinton, MA with her mother and father – who operate an independent taxi company – and her younger brother and sister. ”I come from a middle class family and I’ve had to work for everything I have most of my life. I plan to work hard on the behalf of UMB students if I’m elected as Student Trustee.”

She worked at three part-time jobs while she attended Clinton High School and two jobs as a UMB student to pay for school and other living expenses.

The challenges in her life, according to Baldassarre, have made her a better person and someone who wants to make a difference in the world.

“When I was in my senior year in high school, I participated in a internship program organized by my school. I had a chance to see the Clinton Courthouse and was inspired by the lawyers who worked day and night to improve the lives of their fellow man.” She wants to become a lawyer one day and her major, Political Science, is a reflection of that ambition.

When asked why she’s running for Student Trustee, Ms. Baldassarre stated that, “it’s a matter of being a responsible member of my new community and doing what I know best: performing under pressure.”

The tuition hikes that are coming over this summer break are what concern her the most. She knows that many UMB students will be negatively affected by this and other future hikes.

As the Student Trustee, Baldassarre believes that it is her duty to engage her constituency through office hours and with regular updates via email and Facebook.

At present, her platform consists of a general plan to be an engaged leader. While she isn’t familiar with the work of the current Student Trustee, Stasha Lampert, Ms. Baldassarre firmly believes that she can do a responsible and respectable job as the representative of UMB’s student body.

“I am one of the students of UMB and I believe that I understand the experiences of UMB students,” says Baldessarre. “I got in this race because I believe that student government represents the will of the student body.”