Student Government Association President advises new Saints to embrace the experience

Politics has always fascinated Benjamin Harrison Paluk ‘25. In two years at Emmanuel College, he’s pursued that interest to the peak of student leadership and career connections at the State House.

Looking ahead to the fall semester, the recently elected president of the Student Government Association (SGA) advised new students to follow their interests and get involved.

“My advice is to engage—with your professors, your classmates, with the clubs on campus, and Boston,” said Paluk. “Jump in and give it 110 percent, because you never know what will pay off for you.”

Paluk plans to graduate this year with a double major in political science and economics. He found the perfect union of those interests at the State House this summer, with an internship at the Executive Office of Administration and Finance.

Working as a Fiscal Policy Analyst Intern, Paluk was involved with the final stages of the FY25 state budget. Among other duties, he organized Excel spreadsheets during the culminating flurry of activity, as lawmakers looked to secure funds for their districts in the coming year.

Much of Paluk’s internship was focused on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the MBTA, and Commuter Rail contracts. His final project was developing a proposal to bring the Commuter Rail back under state management when the current contract expires in 2028.

Overall, Paluk described the internship as an amazing opportunity to learn and strengthen his interest in politics.

“It’s the ability to represent people and give back,” said Paluk. “it’s just a very rewarding and fulfilling experience, where you can see the benefits of your work.”

With the summer internship wrapping up, Paluk is looking forward to leading the SGA, which represents the student body, manages student activities, and generally works to benefit the student experience.

Paluk was a resident representative with the SGA last year. As a freshman, he was the Emmanuel representative at the Boston Intercollegiate Government, a coalition of 17 student governments across the Boston area.

A Worcester native, Paluk discovered Emmanuel through his older sister, who graduated last year with a degree in biology and works nearby as a medical assistant at Harvard Vanguard.

“When I would visit, I fell in love with the campus and all of the opportunity of being in Boston,” said Paluk. “It’s just the perfect combination of location, opportunity, and networking.”

Looking ahead, Paluk is studying for the LSAT and weighing whether to pursue law school or a graduate degree in public policy or management. The details are still coming into focus, but he has options.

“I’m graduating early, so I might take a gap year and work at the State House,” said Paluk. “They said I could come back after graduating and I would love to do that.”