Meet the 2022 – 2023 Student Government Association (SGA)

President: Jaylon Leonard
Vice President: Brooklynn Rowe
Secretary: Kirsten Wagner
Treasurer: Madison Lemming
Head Rep: Jasmine Salinas
Natural and Social Sciences: Veronica Moreno
School of Business: Aileen Chavez
Arts and Letters: Linda Puga
Senior: Monika Szcezpanik
International: Bel Ange Ndaya

Each representative has their own reason for running for office at Texas Wesleyan University.

Vice President Elect Brooklynn Rowe, a second year exercise science, bio minor and psych minor, wanted to establish herself in the campus community early on in her college career. “I loved being able to help those around me who were struggling, and I wanted that passion to carry over into my experience here at Texas Wesleyan,” she said.

Rowe plans on incorporating school traditions for incoming and current students as SGA vice president. “I want there to be a greater sense of community on campus and to enjoy quality time with one another,” she said. “I plan to host as many wide-scale events as we possibly can and allow more culture and variation within our events.”

New to the student-run organization, soon-to-be fourth year biology major Monika Szczepanik is excited about her new role as Senior Representative. She feels hopeful as she foresees taking on any challenges faced by campus leaders. “I’m still figuring out how everything works and gathering ideas to make TXWES a better place,” Szczepanik said. “I want to promote change on campus for current and future students.”

The upcoming secretary Kirsten Wagner currently serves as the Arts and Letters Representative. The fourth year musical theater major expressed her year-long experience with student government: “I think that being on the board has taught me so much about being a leader on campus and has strengthened my organization, time-management and communication skills as well.”

Wagner plans on helping students strengthen their voice and feel fully represented. She feels that the SGA is the best venue to cultivate change for the betterment of the university. “We had a great year and did so many great things and I cannot wait to see what next year brings,” Wagner said.

SGA veteran Aileen Chavez, the third year business administration major and elected School of Business representative, is also familiar with serving the community as she has been an avid community leader for over 12 years. She has interacted with Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society, Habitat for Humanity and My Brother’s Keeper, to name a few.

“Is saying ‘I want change’ too cliche? Ideally, anyone would like to change things (hopefully for the better),” Chavez said, mirroring the goals of change stated by other elected board members.

In addition to improvements on campus, she believes it is important to network with local DFW businesses, organizations and leaders. “What if students could have field trips and see firsthand what jobs they can acquire with their degree? Can we get a “day in the life” of businesspeople? Can students spend a day with people who match their field of study? I have a lot of ideas to bring to the table,” Chavez suggests.

All representatives were contacted for this article, but only a few responded.

There are still positions open. To apply for one of these, contact Chief Justice German at [email protected].

Open Positions

Residence Life Representative
At Large Representative
Athletic Representative
Graduate Representative
School of Education Representative
Transfer Student Representative
Associate Justice (x2)

SGA constitutional requirements for most positions:

Section 1 – Members Must meet the qualifications set out in the Election Code of the SGA By-Laws and must meet the following requirements See election code for exemptions to qualifications requirements:
(a) President: Must have 60 credit hours and have served in the SGA for at least one academic year and not lead another student organization;
(b) Vice President and Chief Justice: Must have 45 credit hours, and have served on SGA for at least one academic year;
(c) Treasurer: Must have served on SGA for at least one academic year;
(d) Graduate Representative: Must be enrolled in a Texas Wesleyan University Graduate program;
(e) At-Large Representative: Must be a registered student of the University.
(f) Representatives from a specific school of study must be majoring in a degree that falls under that school’s department;
(g) Freshman Representative: Must have no more than 29 credit hours excluding dual credit hours;
(h) Senior Representative: Must have no less than 90 credit hours;
(i) International Student Representative: Must be an international student.
(j) Athletic Representative must be a current Texas Wesleyan athlete
(k) Residence Representative must be a student living on campus
(l) Transfer Representative must have attended another college before attending Texas Wesleyan (does not include dual credit, AP, or IB credits)

Per SGA constitution:
If a student is interested in running for a position which they do not meet all the qualifications for, the student may be voted on for approval to run for the position by the current SGA. In order to receive approval to run for a position, the student must receive a 2/3 majority vote from the board.

SGA constitution rules on exemptions:
Section 10 – Exemptions and Appeals of Candidates
a. The Executive Council can review individual candidates who do not meet any of the requirements and must take this for review to the student government. The student government can, with a 2/3 majority vote, approve the candidate to run for office.
b. If the reason for the exemption is GPA related, the candidate must meet the required GPA by the beginning of the next long semester the candidate holds office. If the GPA does not meet the minimum requirement in that timeframe, the position will be vacated and filled by an appointment of the President and approved by the student government with a simple majority vote.