Hey, I'm MGR
WHO AM I?
I'm Muralidharan Govindarajan (he/him), I prefer to go by MGR Govindarajan. I'm a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, currently majoring in Legal Studies and Political Science with a certificate in Criminal Justice.
I'm a first generation college student, an older brother to an amazing sister, and a wannabe photographer. Growing up, I've always loved being outside in nature and enjoying what the world has to offer. Only recently have I discovered my passion for photography, being able to go out and taking pictures of anything I see, from autumn leaves falling off trees to the puppies on State Street. I spend most of my time on campus either studying with friends, or representing & advocating for students at the Student Government (ASM) as their Legislative Affairs Chair. On the weekends, I try to get out of downtown campus or go out for a photoshoot (spoiler: neither happen that often due to me being a chronic procrastinator on essays).
Back at home with my family, I focus on being the fun for my younger sister, taking her out to parks and events, and obviously taking pictures of it all. I help my parents during the summer our family restaurant, and lend a hand by helping my sister with her homework and projects during school time.
Outside of all that, my favorite Netflix show is The 100 but I just finished the entirety of Grey's Anatomy so I'm desperately open to suggestions. Far as music, well, I can't seem to get outside of just pop, so let us instead focus on the fact I love Marvel movies. If you ever see me around campus, I'm pretty approachable so you should definitely say hi and introduce yourselves! Oh, and obviously, I will gladly take any opportunity to shamelessly plug my photography insta: @mgr.snaps
HOW DID I GET HERE?
I immigrated to the United States with my parents when I was 6, and moved around from state to state often. I was the kid who would stay in town for a year or two, and then go to a different state. I come from a family of hard workers, a mother who was a teacher and raised two kids in a new country and a father who started out as a restaurant waiter and made his way up to one day start up his own restaurant as a small business owner. I've seen firsthand where hardworking will get you in life.
I came to Wisconsin to start my freshmen year of high school, with the promise of permanency -- which at the time was a new concept to me after moving around so often. Permanency allowed me to build a community around myself for the first time. And through that I grew up witnessing that not everyone is treated equally or given the same opportunities. I went to high school witnessing on TV the murders of people of color by the people who are tasked with protecting them, hearing stories of students hiding behind desks in school shooter drills, and a society that has not begun to think about the mental health of students heading into their adulthood in college, especially during and after a pandemic. And worst of all, it felt like the people in power didn't care -- and in fact made it harder for us to share our voice by making voting difficult if not impossible for certain groups of people.
I've spent the majority of my advocacy time at UW-Madison working at ASM as the Legislative Affairs Chair, where I've been able to form concrete connections with local, state and federal officials. My job in that role is to advocate for student priorities and needs, which I became increasingly aware of the longer I worked. While the legislature was still in session, I worked on pushing bills that would require the University to include student voices in University decisions. I testified against harmful bills pushing Critical Race Theory, Anti-Trans Legislation etc. Then earlier this April, I was re-elected to my second year in the role, now I'm currently focusing on getting increased funding for UHS and mental health services specifically, with the governor's office giving a verbal agreement to include it in their budget request this upcoming year. My other goal has been bringing together students from across the state to voice their opinions together at the state legislature, because the voice of students are stronger when it's used together in unison.
MISSION STATEMENT
Uplifting the Voice of Students
As Alder, I don't want to just represent you, I want to make sure your voices are heard. I will involve students in any opportunity I can, whether it's City Council meetings or something different. You know what problems you face, and you know best on how to solve them, I'll listen and be your advocate.