Lamelle D. Rawlins '99 walked into her first Undergraduate Council meeting got herself elected to its third highest position and never looked back.

Rawlins' meteoric rise through the council's hierarchy--two terms as secretary and a term as the first popularly elected vice president--culminates this week in the biggest election of her political life: the race for president.

Robert M. Hyman '98 handpicked Rawlins to be his vice presidential running mate during April's election, and the two of them were elected on a progressive platform emphasizing safety, women's issue and grants to student groups.

This year, Rawlins is attempting to come into her own, while still retaining the ideological agenda that Hyman rode to three consecutive presidential victories.

Rawlins says her experience on the council has made her more aggressive in her work.

Many observers agree that Rawlins has changed and grown since last year, saying that she has become more politically savvy and polished.

"I would say that my views have only gotten stronger and more focussed since I've have been here", she says, "I feel that I'm stronger leader now".

Rawlins likes to say that while her opponents have excellent ideas, she's the only one that's been fighting for them consistently--and successfully- for the past year and half.

"what's most important in a president is that that person will do almost anything to get what he or she thinks the student body wants. I think I'm that person", says Rawlins.

Issues that Rawlins has worked on include getting more women and minority faculty, improved shuttle service, more emergency phones and better advising.

Of all the candidates, her views are most compatible with the liberal bent of most students on campus, Rawlins said.

"I think I am the only candidate that reflects progressive values", she says, adding that she believes her election hinges on the progressive vote.

If Rawlins is elected, she will be the first woman president in council history.

"It's one of the few barriers left to break here at Harvard", Rawlins says.

She would like to use her position to help women leaders on campus, she says.

"For women who will be in the Class of '2001 and women who are already here on campus, it can only help to see a women as the student body president", she says.