Allison Markert began her foray into student government during her freshman year as a student senator for the College of Natural Resources. Fast forward to today and Markert is ready to begin her term as NC State’s student body president.
Markert, a senior majoring in natural resources with a concentration in policy and administration, was elected as student body president in March 2024 alongside Isaac Carreno, a junior studying social work, who will serve as student body vice president, with 82.21% of the vote.
In her new role, Markert plans to tackle a number of issues on campus — from promoting community and civic engagement to advocating for protections around diversity, equity and inclusion to creating stronger mental health support and enhancing green spaces.
Building Community and Mental Health Support
Establishing a culture of care and connectivity at NC State is a significant goal of Markert’s for the upcoming school year. This ranges from promoting professional development opportunities for student workers on campus to fostering community within on-campus living.
“I think that mental health is a crucial component of student success on campus,” Markert said. “I think that it is something that is built foundationally, not something that’s just built when students come and arrive on campus.”
Many NC State students who were high schoolers during the pandemic lockdowns are especially feeling isolated in their residence halls now that they’re away from their families, according to Markert. To combat this, Markert aims to work with the Inter-Residence Council at NC State to focus on fostering community within the residence halls.
Markert also plans to focus on the implementation of peer mentoring support, reimagining physical spaces that can facilitate communication and collaboration better, and helping get mental health training started for staff and students. Her cabinet is also working on educational resources for professors who observe students experiencing a mental health crisis.
“Mental health is something that holistically makes a person who they are and it really defines their capabilities,” Markert said. “I think that if mental health is something that’s holding you back, you can’t really be your best self and you can’t be your best self on campus.”
Enhancing Community and Civic Engagement
Another way Markert envisions strengthening the campus community is through enhancing student connectivity to Hillsborough Street. The street, which is located along the northern border of campus, was once considered the center of social life among NC State students.
“During my time here, I’ve heard a lot of previous alums say they don’t know what happened to Hillsborough Street; it used to be so lively, students used to congregate there a lot more,” Markert said.
She added, “I think that we’ve lost that because students have just grown a little bit out of touch with that. We’ve been communicating with some local restaurants on the street to see what kind of collaborations we can foster with them to try to bring students to Hillsborough Street a little bit more.”
Markert is currently looking into hosting student government events focused on mental health and community-building along Hillsborough Street to encourage students to gather there. She is also in communication with NC State Dining to explore the potential of expanding the use of “Dining Dollars” to local neighboring restaurants.
On a civic level, Markert wants to encourage the youth vote across the campus and beyond. One way she hopes to do this is through bringing candidates to campus. She also wants to encourage students, especially those from the College of Natural Resources, to become more involved with student government itself.
“Historically, the college has had some of the lowest involvement within student government, and it really is an influential body when it comes toward making changes to university policy, rules and regulations, calling for our student community to take action on things, as well as calling for things to be done and accomplished by the administration,” Markert said.
Enhancing Natural Resources Across Campus
Markert has already spoken with some of her professors about hopefully getting more native species within campus planning, especially on Centennial Campus, which does not have a lot of green space and green natural areas.
There is a significant amount of invasive species on campus that adversely affects trees, according to Markert. “So, we’re looking at that in our assessments and encouraging NC State to be a hub of native plants,” she said.
Her interest in this area was fueled by her favorite class of all time: FOR 339/501: Dendrology. The course, which is taught by Stephanie Jeffries, provides students with an overview of more than 160 native plant species.
Looking Toward the Future
Markert’s passion for the environment began in her childhood. During high school, she took an environmental science class every year. One of those classes focused on the intersection of humans and the environment, leading her to become interested in environmental policy.
When she’s not studying or advocating for her fellow students, Markert serves as an active member of the Epsilon Eta Fraternity Iota Chapter. The fraternity advocates for environmental justice and sustainability at NC State and the surrounding area.
Markert has participated in a number of volunteer opportunities with Epsilon Eta over the years. Her favorite was helping Carolina Tiger Rescue with landscaping earlier this year. The North Carolina-based organization saves and protects big cats in captivity and in the wild.
For two years, Markert also interned as a donor and alumni coordinator within the Advancement Office at the College of Natural Resources, where she communicated with alumni, donors and other external relations and assisted in the planning of various donor appreciation events.
Markert hopes to pursue a career in environmental policy once she graduates. She interned with Duke Energy last summer, working with the company to help assess vegetation alongside transmission lines. This helped ensure local communities would be able to have equitable access to energy.
“I really enjoyed looking into and learning more about the policies and the intersection between people and the environment through the lens of the utility contractors such as energy,” Markert said.
For incoming students to the College of Natural Resources, Markert gave this advice: “Develop a topic that is relevant to you. When you first join your introductory classes, it’s so much more broad than it can be. Throw yourself into as many professional organizations as possible.”
She added, “Throw yourself into the clubs and become friends with your professors, and explore research opportunities. The College of Natural Resources is the most tight-knit community at NC State, and it really is ‘the more you put in, the more you get out.'”
For inquiries into student government and ways you can help, Allison Markert can be reached at sbp@ncsu.edu.
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