Keene State College’s motto, “enter to learn, go forth to serve,” is plastered across campus from the Main Street entry gate to the L.P. Young Student Center’s back wall mural. The motto implies a certain quality among KSC Owls, in which the skills and experiences nurtured at a four-year college translate into opportunities to make the world a better place.
For senior Jacob Favolise, serving his community was always at the heart of his academic ambitions.
“My parents did a good job of instilling in me the importance of looking for ways to give back to my community,” said Favolise.
Favolise’s collegiate resume contains a hefty list of distinguished positions in both college and city political spaces, such as serving as a member-at-large on the KSC Student Assembly, KSC senator, member-at-large of the KSC Senate Executive Committee and Ward 1 councillor for the City of Keene.
Favolise is the only KSC student holding a seat in the Keene City Council, which he won in a special election on June 6, 2024 against opponent Michael Conway.
Having previously served in student leadership positions in high school, Favolise came to Keene State College excited to further his service to a community of students. Favolise said he did not come from a political background but discovered politics as an avenue to achieve his desire to serve his community.
“I was a class president for a couple of years in high school and saw an opportunity to really continue that service and leadership. One thing that has really been great on campus here has been just how many opportunities there are for students to get involved in elected roles and other ways. I’ve served on committees here alongside faculty and staff and have felt like I’ve had an equal voice and [have been] just as listened to as a tenured faculty member, “ said Favolise.
“I came into college with an interest in politics and leadership, and I’ve had so many opportunities here to put it into practice that my love for it has only grown,” added Favolise.
Through his experience serving in collegiate governing bodies, Favolise said he has had the chance to make impacts on the college community, such as spearheading an initiative to establish the academic merit-based President’s List.
“On the college Senate, I authored the motion that introduced the President’s List to KSC, which is new this year. It is an academic distinction for undergraduate students on top of the existing Dean’s List policy. The Dean’s List requires a full-time undergraduate student to get a 3.5 GPA during the semester to receive those honors. I felt like that 3.5 designation wasn’t high enough for our highest-level students, and I wanted to make sure that we had a level of recognition that requires students to get at least one [A level grade] in a class,” said Favolise.
“Honoring our student’s academic achievements is really important to me, and part of what makes this community really unique is how we highlight people’s service but also remembering that at our core we are an academic institution. Holding space for both of those categories and recognitions felt really good,” added Favolise.
Regarding his work on the Keene City Council, Favolise said the chance to make an impact in the broader community is a remarkable experience.
“One of the things I love about serving as a city councillor is that we’re dealing with so many different things. A meeting can be about a festival permit, a zoning change that can lead to more housing in the city, and then we’re talking about where we’re going to put up a stop sign. There’s so many different things that we discuss that impact people’s lives, and being able to be a part of not only campus leadership but also a part of the community’s leadership is a big achievement,” said Favolise.
“To be able to take the experiences and backgrounds I’ve had here at Keene State and apply it to the broader community can be a benefit for the school and relationship between the school and the city. I truly hope that I’ve done a good job living up to my constituents’ and my colleagues’ expectations,” added Favolise.
KSC Professor of History and Cheshire District 15 State Rep. Nick Germana works with Favolise on the KSC Senate and praised Favolise for attention to detail.
“Seeing him at work in the [KSC Senate], he is incredibly diligent and hardworking. He’s someone who really reads all the material for meetings and does his homework to come to meetings prepared to ask really good questions. He’s somebody who’s able to really shape our discussions sometimes because he’s trying to dig into questions and see what the implications are for the entire community,” said Germana.
Associate Vice President of Student Engagement and Student Government Advisor Jen Ferrell works with Favolise in his student governance role and encouraged him to take what he has learned at the college into his future endeavors.
“I hope he remembers the things he’s learned during his time at KSC, and figures out a way to translate them into practice in everyday life. [Enter to learn, go fourth to serve] is something I think he’ll be very in tune with going forward. I hope he keeps that same motivation and curiosity,” said Ferrell.
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
