SGA Hosts Candidate Event; Only One Contested Election

Melina P. Korfonta ’25

Contributing Writer

Trinity College’s Student Government Association (SGA) has started collecting names for this year’s ballot. Elections will begin Monday, Sept. 20 at 8 A.M. and last until Tuesday, Sept. 21 through a link that will be sent online the morning of Sept. 21. The positions open for this year are the 2025 Class President, and four senators per class year. Despite the number of openings this election, only the Class of 2025 race is contested.

The SGA hosted a “Meet the Candidates” event virtually on Sunday, Sept. 19. SGA President Jederick Estrella moderated the event and allowed each candidate to introduce themselves and share their agendas. Ava Alioto, Sydney Yu, James Maciel, and Momo Djebli, are running positions in the Class of 2025 Senate. In the Class of 2024, Gabi Seguinot, Daniel White, Tony Ortega, and Ayouba Swaray are running as candidates. The 2023 Senate candidates are Allison Rau and Regan Flynn; Alexis Porto is campaigning for a seat in the Class of 2022 Senate. 

During Sunday night’s online event, each candidate answered questions about how they would engage the Trinity community while confronting numerous issues our community still faces. One topic that the candidates touched upon was student engagement. The candidates specifically addressed school spirit and using resources provided by the College. Daniel White ’24, who is running for the Class of 2024 Senate, expressed his desire for more student involvement noting that “There are too many resources we are not using.” With each candidate detailing a variation of the lack of school engagement, they could all agree that no matter how many students were at Trinity, there is a lack of community engagement. 

Many candidates were also very passionate about extending more resources to minorities as well as those within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. Many of these ideas discussed issues involving the facilities, resources, campus-wide racism, and financial aid. On numerous occasions, the stereotypical idea of “The Trinity Student” was mentioned; many students expressed a desire for that stereotype to progress and evolve. By providing more resources to those who identify with these minority groups, many candidates felt that this would help these individuals transition into Trinity more easily and feel more welcomed. In a statement to the Tripod about her goals on her 2025 Presidential run, Amna Zeb ’25 stated, “I am passionate about facilitating the transition of the class of 2025 into the Trinity community by becoming an approachable and trustworthy leader.”

 For this group of candidates, one thing is clear: it is time for the stereotype of “The Trinity Student” to change. They all believe that the student body needs to evolve into a more inclusive, engaged community that will be accepting of every student no matter their background, race, or gender identity. This year’s candidates, as well as the SGA Executive Board, are eager to break down barriers at Trinity by formulating a more inclusive and engaged conception of the Trinity student.