DMV stand up!
A Maryland native just made history as the first Black woman elected as student government president at West Virginia University (WVU), Afrotech reports.
Amaya Jernigan is a native of Waldorf, Maryland, and a junior biology major at West Virginia University. She is very active on campus, serving as a member of RISE WVU, M-Power, president of the Eta Omicron chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and previously governing as senator-at-large for the WVU Student Government Association (SGA). Now, Jernigan has made history, elected to serve as student government president. She’s becoming the first Black woman to hold the title in the university’s more than 150-year history.
“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 told reporters.
Jernigan will lead the student body during the 2021-2022 academic school year alongside newly elected vice president Hunter Moore, 29 college senators, and 12 senators-at-large. The election took place online from March 9-10th and was certified by the WVU SGA Judicial Court on March 10th.
WVU director of student engagement and leadership, Thanh Le, spoke about Jernigan, Moore, and the election.
“Seeing the students energized with their campaigns has been amazing. Given the circumstances of the past year, passion to serve their student body is evident,” Le said.
As SGA president, Jernigan will continue her work advocating for creating gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, creating more diverse counseling options for students, and bringing more mentorship programs on campus for underrepresented students.
“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,” Jernigan said..
Congratulations, Amaya!
Photo Courtesy of LinkedIn/Afrotech