Breaking: First black SGA president elected at Rollins

Akheem Mitchell (‘23) was elected Student Government Association (SGA) president for the 2022-23 academic year. Mitchell will be the first black SGA president in Rollins history, and his running mate Sendy Sejourne (‘23) will be the second black vice president in SGA history, only preceded by Mitchell, who is the current SGA vice president. 

“March 11th, 2022 marks a historical date for us all,” said Mitchell and Sejourne in a joint statement. “For the first time since the college’s opening, both the Student Government Association President and Vice-President are black. We both want to extend our gratitude to the students who voted for us. In knowing that we have your best interests at heart, we vow that our administration will fight for each one of you. Your voice has been and always will be the pillar of our administration.” 

Both Mitchell and Sejourne have diverse backgrounds within the Rollins community. Mitchell serves as the current vice president of SGA as well as the vice president of the Black Student Union. He also serves as a resident assistant in Cross Hall and the student body’s representative on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Initiative Steering Committee.

Sejourne is an associate justice within SGA, a health promotions intern at the Wellness Center, a Wellness ambassador, a Hamilton Holt peer mentor, and the professional development officer for Rollins Rotaract. Sejourne also serves on the academic honor council and has been elected vice chair for the 2022-23 academic year. 

Mitchell and Sejourne’s mission “to break barriers and build a future” will be the centerpiece of their SGA administration. According to their campaign, key areas of focus for the administration will be diversity, equity and inclusion; financial transparency and awareness; mental health awareness and advocacy; and social justice competency. 

This year’s election pitted the current SGA vice president Mitchell, against the incumbent president Daniel Elliot (‘23) and his running mate Ingrid Ryan (‘24).

“Although we are saddened by the results of the 2022 SGA election, we are extremely proud of the work that we put into our campaign and want to congratulate Akheem and Sendy on their win,” said Elliot and Ryan in a joint statement. “We wish the best to Akheem and Sendy as they begin their work for the upcoming school year.”

Despite the current SGA president and vice president running on separate tickets this election, Mitchell and Elliot still plan to work together for the remainder of  the semester. 

“We will work to the best of our ability to incorporate your voices with our current SGA administration to bring students into the conversation at Rollins. SGA is for everyone, and we will continue to work tirelessly to bring your concerns to the forefront of our conversations with the administration,” said Elliot and Ryan. 

“Our hearts are full of encouragement and support from the student body, administration, faculty, and staff,” Mitchell and Sejourne said. “We can’t thank everyone enough. The time is now to break barriers and build a future for every Tar!”