Vanessa Macamo, a PhD candidate and Fulbright scholar from Mozambique, was elected president of the University of Arizona Graduate and Professional Student Council (GPSC) on April 20, 2026. Macamo defeated opponent Aamir Quraishy with a 361 to 60 vote margin following a week-long student campaign.
The election marks a historic milestone for the organization, which was established in 1991 to advocate for the rights and resources of graduate and professional students. Macamo, who will be sworn in on May 18, is the first African woman to lead the student body for the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year.
“The role and the goal is really to work, to promote academic, economic, and social aims to graduate professional students,” said Macamo, regarding her vision for the council’s future. “The goal is to see a graduate student flourishing in this environment that is the University of Arizona.”
Macamo emphasized that her election serves as a symbolic shift for the university community and future international students.
“If I was able to do this, it means that someone after me that can see this can also think I can also do that. You know? And also I think this is an opportunity to shift the narrative,” Macamo said.
The president-elect noted that the support from the student body has been visible across campus since the results were announced.
“When I pass [the U of A] these days, if I’m in the Food Pantry or in a classroom, people are coming to me like, ‘I voted for you.’ And diverse people. It’s beautiful. It’s wonderful,” Macamo said. “It means that people trust it. So, every vote, every message, every prayer reminds me that when we come together, we can open doors that once felt distant because we became a community.”
Javier Duran, a professor of Latin American and Border Studies and a founding member of the GPSC, recalled the early motivations for forming the council over three decades ago.
“[In 1991] we were paying attention to those issues. And I think that was a huge factor to bring together what will become the GPSC in the future,” said Duran.
The professor highlighted the essential role the council plays in ensuring that allocated university resources are distributed effectively to the graduate student population.
“GPSC’s mission is to make sure that the graduates are not only represented in the student government but also they have a claim in the right channels to make sure that the resources that are allocated for their benefit are properly dispersed,” Duran said.
In athletics, the University of Arizona baseball team prepares to start a four-game road series against Grand Canyon on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. The Wildcats currently hold a 72-33 lead in the historical series against the Antelopes, with the two teams splitting their previous two matchups this season.
| Category | Player | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Batting Average | Tony Lira | .351 |
| Hitting Streak | Beau Sylvester | 13 Games |
| Walks | Caleb Danzeisen | 31 |
| Strikeouts (Single Game) | Smith Bailey | 15 |
The Wildcats enter the contest following a 6-0 shutout win over BYU, driven by Luc Fladda, who was named Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Arizona aims to build momentum before traveling to face No. 11 Kansas this weekend.
