This year, Rollins elected its new Student Government Association President and Vice President. The candidates were President Erica Mungin (‘24), a Philosophy and Political Science double major and Vice President Vee Santa Lucia (‘24). They met in fall 2020, when Mungin had moved in early for the EMBARK program and was looking for the Rice Pavilion.
“I just said good-bye to my mother, and I needed to pick up my EMBARK backpack, so I began wondering the campus looking for the Rice Pavilion. While on my journey, I came across a small group of other first-year students and Vee so happened to be one of them,” said Mungin. “They looked friendly and approachable, so I asked them where Rice is, and they were so kind to guide me there. After chatting with them for a while, Vee invited me to hang out in her room, I found out that she’s also from South Florida like me, and then we’ve been close friends ever since.”
Since she was in the eighth grade, Santa Lucia has been involved in her schools’ student government. This made her an apt candidate to run with Mungin and serve as her Vice President. Mungin’s decision to run for President, however, was inspired by her desire to bring about a more welcoming and inclusive campus environment for students: “With my desire to make our campus a better place, mixed with the support of friends, family, and the Rollins Community, the idea of running for President didn’t seem so far-fetched,” she added.
For the upcoming school year, Mungin and Santa Lucia plan to focus on fostering a sense of community on campus, continue to support the DEI initiatives that the President Strategic Planning Committee was trying to execute at an institutional level, and more.
“Vee and I hope to bring back the liveliness and sense of community from pre-COVID Rollins. Through collaborating with student organizations from all corners of the campus like FSL, athletics, cultural organizations, etc. and hosting more events that the campus wants; we hope to accomplish that,” said Mungin. “I would say that this past year has been the first time we’ve experienced life without many COVID restrictions but there still is a lack of motivation to go out to socialize on campus. Our goal is to help students find that motivation to enjoy the Rollins experience a little more.”
During her time as President, Mungin is looking forward to working with Santa Lucia, and the rest of their team throughout their term.
For those interested in running for President in the future, Mungin advises to just be yourself: “Not only will your constituents get to know the real you but for the sake of your own mental health. Creating a mask to please people will only take you so far, and if you start to have the mask on for too long, you’ll start to lose yourself, your ambitions, and the reason why you wanted to run in the first place. Being true to yourself will allow you to always have that spark and avoid that burn-out.”
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