Jake Serra was asked by a member of the audience to reflect on some of his favorite memories from his time as a student at the March 3 Clemson Day at the State House event held in Columbia, South Carolina. After mulling it over for a moment, he quickly turned the question into an opportunity to thank his good friend, Undergraduate Student Body President Zach Freeman, for an initiative that began last fall known as the “People’s Float.”
“Historically, the Homecoming Week experience is dominated by Fraternity and Sorority Life and of course the coordinator of the annual float build on Bowman, Central Spirit,” explains Freeman. “Brody Kestel came to me with the idea of opening a float for all Clemson students. Greek Life is about 30 percent of the student body, so we’re still missing a big chunk of our enrollment, and we wanted them to have an opportunity to pomp and engage in one of Clemson’s biggest traditions. It was an amazing endeavor.”
Serra and Freeman were part of a student experience panel, along with fellow senior Jessica Pressley, and graduate students Kazi Rana and Liz Bagatini. The group represented more than 30 students who attended the event, primarily made up of Clemson Undergraduate Student Government (CUSG) and Graduate Student Government (GSG). One by one, each student took turns answering questions from a moderator and members of an audience that included University leaders, trustees and other board members.
Zach Freeman, senior
• Major: Marketing and management
• Hometown: Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Clemson Undergraduate Student Government President
• Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business Recruitment Ambassador
• IPTAY Student Advisory Board
• Honors College
• Pi Kappa Alpha
• Order of Omega
Freeman is closing in on the end of his term as student body president. Originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas, his mother attended Auburn University and father went to the University of Tennessee. Despite having never visited Clemson even once, he made his decision after being drawn to the prestige of the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business.
As the former Miami (Ohio) baseball commit prepares to graduate later this spring, he identifies three ways to get involved in the Clemson student experience.
“One is through your academic college, and I have been fortunate to be a recruitment ambassador for the College of Business,” he says. “Second, find something that interests you. My fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, has been a foundational part of my journey. And finally, find something out of your comfort zone. For me, that was through the IPTAY Advisory Board.”
Jake Serra, senior
• Major: Health science
• Hometown: Westerly, Rhode Island
• Track & Field student-athlete
• Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President
• Clemson Undergraduate Student Government Athletic Affairs Committee Chair
• Bioengineering Research Lab intern
Serra’s journey has taken a different path. A middle distance runner from Rhode Island recruited by Clemson Track & Field Coach Mark Elliott, he dreamed of winning national championships. Instead, he’s found his passion by securing different leadership roles on campus. This past year, he’s served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) — a cross-representative group that serves as a liaison to the student-athlete body and Clemson Athletics administration, the ACC and NCAA. He’s also chaired CUSG’s athletic affairs committee.
When asked what he’s taking with him from his Clemson experience, Serra says it’s an unwavering pride associated with the orange and purple.
“The ACC Indoor Championships were held in Boston a couple of weeks ago, and our team was in one of the wrapped Clemson Football buses and everyone was looking at us because they recognized the Tiger paw,” says Serra, who recently accepted a job for after graduation at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. “It’s powerful, and you feel it — around campus, and everywhere you go.”
Jessica Pressley, senior
• Major: Management
• Hometown: Taylors, South Carolina
• Undergraduate Student Senate President Pro Tempore
• Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business Recruitment Ambassador
• Residential community mentor in Mauldin/Manning
• Generative AI and business research intern
Pressley has also taken on leadership in CUSG, serving as president pro tempore of the Undergraduate Student Senate. A native of Taylors, South Carolina, she was laser focused on graduating in three years. And while on track to do that in May, she wishes she’d taken more time to appreciate the journey and not be so outcome-driven.
Pressley is headed to graduate school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where she’ll work toward a master’s degree in public administration. She credits Clemson for pushing her to be a better person.
“It’s been the best experience of my life,” she says. “The culture impacts you in so many ways you don’t even realize, and that’s without a doubt been the best part of my student experience.”
Kazi Rana, Ph.D. student
• Major: Biomedical data science and informatics
• Hometown: Bangladesh
• Graduate Student Government President
• Graduate research assistant
Rana and Bagatini, as graduate students, provided different perspectives among the panelists. Rana is pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical data science and informatics and came to Clemson after working professionally in marketing and sales in his home country of Bangladesh. He began his graduate studies at Western Michigan University and considered several other schools — Michigan State and Boise State among them — before narrowing in on Clemson’s Ph.D. program.
Following a stint as a senator in GSG last year, Rana landed the role of president.
“Being able to represent Clemson’s 6,000 graduate students has been both an honor and a privilege,” he says. “I share the same concerns and challenges they do, and if I can do something for them to make their experiences even a little bit better, I’ll be happy at the end of the day.”
Liz Bagatini, graduate student
• Major: Social science
• Hometown: Weston, Florida
• Graduate Student Senate President
• Campus Recreation Graduate Assistant for Member Services
• Clemson University Police Department intern
• Florida State ’24 (criminology)
Bagatini earned her undergraduate degree from Florida State University and was attending a NIRSA Region II Conference when she met Victoria Perry, a staff member from Clemson’s Department of Campus Recreation. A criminology major at FSU with hopes of one day entering the law enforcement field, Bagatini hit it off with Campus Rec’s director of member services and eventually received an opportunity to serve as a graduate assistant under Perry’s mentorship.
Bagatini joined Rana in GSG, serving as president of the Graduate Senate. She credits the role for pushing her out of her comfort zone, and lauds Clemson for its graduate assistantship program that provides students with invaluable hands-on learning.
“My assistantship is very much student-facing, and it’s provided me a lot of opportunity to connect with fellow students,” she says.
Overall, the panel spent an hour connecting with Clemson supporters, sharing stories of impactful experiential learning opportunities, post-graduation plans and advice for prospective students — ensuring the next generation of Tigers enjoys a similar No. 1 student experience.
