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Jernigan is first Black woman elected student government president

WVU Today 

The campaign for West Virginia University Student Government Association leadership ended Wednesday evening, as the SGA Judicial Court certified Amaya Jernigan and Hunter Moore as president and vice president, respectively, for the 2021-22 academic year.

Jernigan, a junior biology major from Waldorf, Md., is the first Black woman elected to the post. She is a member of RISE WVU and M-Power and has served as  president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Eta Omicron Chapter. Jernigan also serves as a senator-at-large, and since joining SGA, she has worked to create more diverse counseling options on campus, mentoring programs for underrepresented students and gender-neutral bathrooms.

“I would like to thank every Mountaineer who has made it possible for me to hold this position. I am beyond grateful and will be forever thankful that you all were brave enough to pave the way for me,” Jernigan said. “Hunter and I, as well as everyone else elected today, have been asked to bring change to campus. We won’t let you down. We have to be the change we seek, and the ‘ACTION’ starts today.” 

Moore, a member of the Honors College, is a junior mechanical and aerospace engineering major from Clarksburg. He serves as  secretary of the Experimental Rocketry Team, a Statler Ambassador and a member of the Microgravity Research Team. Moore serves as an SGA college senator for the Staler College and has written legislation supporting the use of solar energy and advocated for the rights of Title IX complainants and underrepresented students on campus.

“Seeing the students energized with their campaigns has been amazing,” said Thanh Le, director of Student Engagement and Leadership. “Given the circumstances of the past year, passion to serve their student body is evident. 

“All the candidates are focused on creating a safer, more inclusive campus, while focusing on an equitable student experience, student mental health, accessibility, and community outreach and engagement,” Le added.

The election was held on WVUENGAGE Tuesday and Wednesday.

The SGA consists of an elected president, vice president, 29 college senators and 12 senators at-large.

The 12 students elected to the SGA student senate are: Emily Caracciolo, Olivia Dowler, Michael Duong, Chloe Hernandez, Amina Irfan, Brooke Jones, Azeem Khan, Devin Price, Madison Robinson, Sam Summers, Donovan Weekley and Emily Whalan.

The following students were elected to their respective college senator positions: 

 Business & Economics 

  • Ben Luikart 
  • Zachary Machinga 
  • Theodore Stackpole 
  • Pareera Uqaily 

College of Education and Human Services 

  • Addison Wallace 
  • College of Creative Arts 
  • Alexis Zoglio 
  • College of Law 
  • Sam Hait 

Physical Activity and Sports Sciences 

  • Devon Furash 
  • Tara Smith 

Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design 

Morgan Glass 

Arts and Sciences 

  • Ethan Cade 
  • Sklyee Cox 
  • Marleah Knights 
  • Tucker Nadeau 
  • Alex San Nicolas 
  • Joshua Peters 

Health Sciences 

  • Jarrett Childress 
  • Akili Francis 
  • Maddy Graham 
  • Jerry White 

Engineering 

  • Rushik Patel 
  • Tyler Seidel 
  • Raafay Uqaily 
  • Jada Williams 

Transition of the new leadership will be announced at a later date.

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