Photo credits: wcupa.edu
Last week, the Student Government Association (SGA) of West Chester University held elections for next school year’s executive board. This year, the executive board is made up of all women. To learn more about SGA and their goals, I sat down with Catherine Young, the SGA President-elect, and the current SGA President, Nebiyou Elias.
Question: Who are you?
Young: My name is Catherine Young, and I use she/her pronouns. I am a current third-year Marketing major with minors in Nutrition, Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship. I joined SGA my first semester at West Chester as the Dining Services Senator and then held the position of Sustainability Senator. Currently, I serve on the Executive Board as the inaugural Public Relations Officer.
Elias: My name is Nebiyou Elias. I’m a senior double majoring in Actuarial Science and Statistics. Prior to serving as the SGA President, I’ve been the senator for the College of Sciences and Mathematics for two years. I’ve also been involved with a variety of clubs such as Actuary Society, Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and the Sykes Union Advisory Board. Also, I’ve had the privilege of working for a few departments within student affairs such as New Student Programs, Off Campus and Commuter Services and the Office of Wellness Promotion.
Question: Why did you decide to run for president?
Young: My previous experience in SGA and other clubs has given me the experience needed to be a successful president. One important quality I pride myself on is my ability to be an empathic leader. When advocating for students, it is important to understand the needs of others and have an awareness of their thoughts and feelings. I am so excited to listen to students and make an actual impact.
Elias: I decided to run for president because I wanted to bring different parts of campus together and make sure that we’re addressing the concerns of all students. I think it’s important to address the issues that aren’t openly discussed and unfortunately you need to have those uncomfortable conversations in order to challenge the status quo.
Question: What do you hope SGA will accomplish in the next year?
Young: I am hoping that SGA will continue to establish itself on campus and grow its reach. By doing this, we should be able to grab perspectives from every area of campus and make an intentional difference. Continuing to redefine our goals is also something that started this year, which I continue to bring on to next year’s Executive Board.
Elias: I hope SGA works to focus on advocacy more in the future by making the initiative to meet students where they are, to bring concerns they may have to SGA and work with the administration to solve.
Both Young and Elias encourage students to bring up any concerns they may have to SGA. Good luck to the next executive board — we can’t wait to see what you accomplish.
Hally Everett is a fifth-year Media & Culture major with minors in Entrepreneurship and Health Sciences. HE885418@wcupa.edu