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Gators elect new SGA administration

By Shaheryar Khan

UHD’s Office of Student Activities announced May 4 the winners of the Student Government Association election for the 2021-2022 academic year.

SGA President-elect Shamika Jefferson and Vice President-elect Michelle Duvall will succeed SGA President Alan Modrow and Vice President Leboriah Chavez.

Both running parties, Shamika Jefferson and Michelle Duvall, as well as Riley Owens and Lorena Guitierrez, worked tirelessly, engaging with as many Gators as they could. Although not elected, during the SGA election debate on April 22, Owens and Gutierrez emphasized that no matter the outcome of the results or what their roles are at UHD, they would do their best to make an impact.

The other winners of the SGA election include Miya Parker, the next chief justice; Ashley Martinez, the new senator for Marilyn Davies College of Business; and Mahalia Ogude, the new senator for College of Sciences and Technology.

The mission of the SGA is to be the voice for UHD Gators and be part of the decision-making process regarding university affairs. Every year, elections are proceeded to determine the next SGA officers to represent the Gator community.

Last year, the world forcefully had to implement the coronavirus into their daily lives, resulting in many alterations in our day-to-day lifestyles. Modrow and Chavez led the Gator community throughout the 2020-2021 academic year in a virtual environment.

As the campus gradually grows closer to return to in-person learning, SGA’s newly elected president and vice president duo, Jefferson and Duvall, are eager to start on their mission.

Initially, the results were supposed to be announced on April 30 at the One Main Event, hosted by Student Activities. The event, however, was canceled due to inclement weather conditions that are notorious in Houston.

Following the announcement of the results, Duvall issued an official statement on what she and Jefferson plan to do as their first official step going forward.

“Shamika and I are ecstatic and over the moon about the election results,” Duvall said.

“We have already met up and discussed the people we have in mind for our cabinet. The next official step is the inauguration.”

To celebrate, the new president and vice president pair took to Instagram and recreated the viral video of Vice President Kamala Harris calling President Joe Biden saying, “We did it!”

Jefferson and Duvall will be officially inaugurated into office on June 4 as UHD welcomes the students back to campus on July 12. This SGA election marks the first time two Black women are elected as SGA president and vice president of the UHD student body.

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