Your candidates for SGA President, Atlanta EVP and Atlanta Speaker
The 2020 Student Government Association presidential race brings a majority of candidates with extensive SGA backgrounds, including two speakers, a committee chair and one Greek life member. The winner will succeed University-Wide President Jazmin Mejia and lead the 91st Administration.
Take a look at who could be the next president and the candidates for the two most competitive positions: executive vice president and speaker of the Atlanta Senate.
By Brooklyn Valera | Headshots by Matthew Siciliano-Salazar
Your candidates for SGA President, Atlanta EVP and Atlanta Speaker
The 2020 Student Government Association presidential race brings a majority of candidates with extensive SGA backgrounds, including two speakers, a committee chair and one Greek life member. The winner will succeed University-Wide President Jazmin Mejia and lead the 91st Administration.
Take a look at who could be the next president and the candidates for the two most competitive positions: executive vice president and speaker of the Atlanta Senate.
By Brooklyn Valera | Headshots by Matthew Siciliano-Salazar
President
Carlos Porter, Sophomore
“In running for SGA president, I seek to increase safety, promote unity and hold your elected and appointed representatives accountable … I love Georgia State and want to build a Georgia State and SGA that all students, past, present and future, will be proud to have been a part of. If I am elected president, that is precisely the SGA that I will create.”
- Porter joined SGA as a senator halfway through the 2018-19 school year. He became the speaker of the Newton campus in 2019 and currently holds the position.
- He was adopted from an orphanage in Guatemala when he was young and was brought to Conyers. Porter is a pianist and currently works as a full-time bookkeeper and an invoice worker.
- Porter was recently invited to join the Alpha Phi chapter of Alpha Beta Gamma at Georgia State. He wants to become involved in as many organizations as possible. He is transferring from the Newton campus to the Atlanta campus this year.
Priorities
- Promote the safety of all students on all of the Georgia State campuses.
- Ensure that every campus and every student has a voice.
- Accountability of campus-wide and university-wide senators, speakers and EVPs to make sure they are serving the student body.
Nahom Taye, Junior
“Let’s start a dialogue on how we can make the student experience and the opportunities that our school provides for us better.”
- Taye doesn’t have prior SGA experience but said he has attended some of the meetings.
- He is a proud Ethiopian-American born and raised in Norcross. Taye wants to get involved with SGA due to their large role in projects and initiatives on campus.
- Taye has held leadership roles through the Eta Beta chapter of Alpha Tau Omega as their health and safety officer, vice president and president. He also serves as a senator representative of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies for the Georgia State Senate.
Priorities
- Improve the career services department as the competition for internships and jobs increases. Make sure students in all majors are ready for their next step, whether that is furthering their education or looking for work.
- Provide more freedom and opportunity for student organizations to increase the student body participation rate.
- Make commuter life easier at Georgia State by showing maps of what roads will be closed that day and how to get into a particular deck. Explain the steps involved in getting a parking pass for all levels of students.
Kaelen Thomas, Junior
“I believe in a student body that is informed because a student body that is informed is a student body that is empowered. I want to empower every student at Georgia State, and I not only want to encourage students to make their voices heard but [also] to create their own college experience. College should be a transformative experience that goes through students and not something students go through.”
- Thomas started off in SGA as a senator in 2018 and became the Ad Hoc Safety Committee chair. He was then promoted to head senator for the College of Arts and Sciences. Thomas was elected speaker of the Atlanta Senate in 2019 and currently holds the position.
- He was born in Decatur but grew up in Loganville. Thomas’s dream to help his community began as a child sharing snacks in his neighborhood and has grown since. He helped create the first standing University-Wide Safety Committee in SGA.
- Thomas volunteers with the nonprofit Open Hands Atlanta in his spare time, which provides meals for people with chronic diseases and disabilities.
Priorities
- Increase the number of on-campus jobs.
- Amend the fee allocation process for student clubs and organizations.
- Finish SGA’s current initiative to provide free feminine hygiene products for women across all campuses.
Nigel Walton, Junior
“Let’s make this University different. Let’s set the tone for what a multicultural university in the 21st century looks like.”
- Walton has been a part of SGA for two years. He joined in 2018 and currently holds a senator position at the Atlanta campus.
- He is from Albany, Georgia. Walton likes to read, eat, watch basketball and go to the movies.
- Walton joined SGA because he wanted to serve the university by creating programs and advocating for policies for everyone. He is also a member of Phi Alpha Delta.
Priorities
- Collaborate with the Student Alumni Association, Georgia State Foundation and the Alumni Connection Council to create a one-of-a-kind student life experience.
- Work with the university and outside partners to create a financial literacy class that addresses racial wealth gaps.
- Move toward 65% of the university voting in the upcoming 2020 presidential elections.
Executive Vice President
Spencer DeHart, Senior
“Georgia State needs leaders that fight for student interests and work to navigate the complexities of SGA to ensure that progress is being made and student concerns are being addressed … I want to work to continue the progress we’ve made in SGA this year and make an even greater impact as the Atlanta EVP.”
- DeHart was elected into a senator position during the 2019 SGA election. DeHart was the only senator for the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at the time so he became the head senator, a position he still holds. He was also appointed as the University-Wide Campus Safety Committee chair during their first university-wide meeting in May 2019. He said he has proposed legislation to cancel classes on Federal Election Day, negotiated a compromise between the University-Wide Senate and worked closely with Georgia State Police Department to ensure the safety of students on campus.
- He is a 20-year-old senior at Georgia State, the only senior in this year’s election. DeHart is from Alpharetta but has lived all over Metro Atlanta. DeHart currently lives in Douglasville.
- DeHart also serves on the executive board for Habitat for Humanity at Georgia State. Apart from Georgia State, he spends his time volunteering with the Atlanta Community Food Bank, playing tennis and attending college and professional sporting events.
Priorities
- Implement a policy to cancel classes on Federal Election Day.
- Improve the quality and quantity of SGA events on campus to facilitate communication between SGA and students.
- Increase communication between SGA and government officials to ensure student issues outside the scope of SGA are being addressed.
Takia Tinsley, Junior
“I am running because I love Georgia State. I love it for its blessings as well as its flaws, but most importantly because it is not perfect … Regardless of their specific experiences or demographics, Georgia State should be a home away from home … I have only gotten this far by counting on the people around me to inspire and light the fire in my heart. Georgia State will either diminish or look a lot brighter tomorrow, depending on how you and I work and thrive together.”
- Tinsley joined SGA during fall of 2019 and currently holds the position of head senator for the College of Arts and Sciences.
- He was born in Minneapolis and was raised in Clayton County. Tinsley had mentors that told him the world would need people from his generation to spearhead the future, so he began to see himself as that leader. Through that, he realized his passion was to help people.
- Tinsley is a Panther LEAP Mentor, the Social Action chair and next president of the Powerful Pi Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Sigma, a presidential ambassador for 1913, the criminal justice chair for the NAACP, the event coordinator for Realize Truth, a member of the Board of Directors for SAA and a new member of Dance Ensemble. He said he also gains experience within state politics through internships as well as participating in servant leadership through community service.
Priorities
- Re-brand SGA and the impact/influence it has on campus through fostering community.
- Make State G.R.E.A.T. (Generous, Responsible, Engaged, Accepting and Thankful)
- Push for 24-hour library access and advocate for students to utilize the facility to its full extent.
Speaker
Audrey Abraham, Junior
“As speaker of the Senate, I vow to increase the visibility of the Student Government Association and be the guide for the senators and students within our university.”
- Abraham has been a senator for SGA since 2018. She was appointed as the Student Engagement chair in 2019.
- She is originally from London but moved to Lawrenceville. Abraham also has a twin sister who pushed her to join SGA. She enjoys working out at the gym, cooking and watching Netflix documentaries.
- Abraham had trouble finding her way around Georgia State her freshman year. She didn’t know where to go or who to talk to so Abraham wants to potentially use the speaker platform to help others avoid that experience.
Priorities
- Promote the SGA to become more visible to the student body by increasing participation throughout our committees and decisions within SGA.
- Allow easy access for students to locate their campus resources and be a guide for the senators and student body. Navigate them in the right direction to a better and even more successful university experience.
- Be a leader of the student body by exemplifying professionalism in the Senate, accountability and dependability for the students SGA is elected to serve.
Brianna Bailey, Sophomore
“The student body deserves representatives that are entirely devoted and more than capable of advancing their lives here at Georgia State. As speaker of the Senate, I will ensure that each students’ voice is heard and fulfilled the best way possible. The speaker of the Senate position requires one to not only know how to lead but understand how to follow. I may possess a title, but you hold all the power.”
- Bailey has volunteered with the Academic Affairs Committee since fall of 2019.
- She is from Stockbridge and has the desire to become an attorney and ultimately a Supreme Court justice.
- Bailey enjoys singing and dancing. She is currently a member of the Redeemed Gospel Choir and Dance Ensemble at Georgia State.
Priorities
- Instill leadership qualities into each senator to ensure adequate representation for all colleges.
- Build personal connections with students to bridge the gap between the student body and faculty and staff.
- Promote student interactions with SGA as a whole.
Nia Cole, Sophomore
“I am running for this position because I believe I am more than capable of getting what needs to be done accomplished and become an advocate for change in the GSU community. Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘The future depends on what we do in the present.’ I will take advantage of the present because this future depends on it.”
- Cole was elected as a senator during her freshman year in 2019. She ran for speaker pro tempore at the Feb. 13 Atlanta meeting but lost. Cole still holds her senator position.
- She was born in Atlanta and was raised in Riverdale. Cole believes she was born to serve and references a quote by Mark Twain that says, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are and born and the day you find out why.”
- Cole also mentors young girls in Girl Scouts and girls that she coaches on a youth cheerleading team. Cole has worked with the Walking in Authority Teen Council where she served as a secretary of state junior ambassador.
Priorities
- Take account of student’s concerns to enforce change that needs to happen and promote a safer environment.
- Strive to make the administrative side of SGA more efficient in this upcoming administration to provide better resources for senators.
- Work towards creating more transparency within SGA by building a more comfortable relationship between SGA and the student body.
Peter Minetos, Sophomore
“I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big. Vote Peter Minetos for speaker for real action driven by passion and results!”
- Minetos first joined SGA as a volunteer during fall 2018. He has volunteered for the Finance Committee and the Student Engagement Committee. Minetos became a freshman liaison during spring 2019. He became a senator during fall 2019. Minetos also ran for speaker pro tempore at the recent Feb. 13 Atlanta meeting but lost. He still holds his senator position.
- He is from Marietta where he began to develop his passion for serving students.
- Outside of school, Minetos spends time with family and friends. He is also an avid basketball fan.
Priorities
- Campus safety
- Student homelessness
- Elevating Georgia State’s school spirit
