Karington Smith (C’21) is the freshly appointed Vice President of the Student Government Association (SGA), adding to her handful of roles at the Mount and assisting in setting a positive precedent for the future success of the organization.
Considering Smith’s impressive level of involvement in organizations on campus and dedication as a member of the women’s track and field team, “the decision was a no-brainer” asserts SGA President Richard Medina (C’20). Smith is the President of the Caribbean culture club, a leader for the Center for Student Diversity (CSD) executive board, member of the Student-Athlete Association Committee and the fundraising chair for the Senior Class Gift Committee. With these credentials and extensive leadership experience, Medina is hoping to bring a different perspective to the table by appointing Smith to this crucial position.
The role of SGA Vice President includes a variety of responsibilities. Primarily, Smith will “be the doer” says Medina, handling more micro-level details of how to achieve the goals of student organizations on campus as well as individual student voices. “What I’ll be doing is taking ideas and actualizing them.” Smith explains. This actualization includes assigning tasks to be carried out by SGA executive board members and keeping track of events.
Smith is also responsible for holding and organizing SGA senate meetings. The senate is composed of leaders of different organizations on campus to encourage a diverse range of input from the student body. When concerns are voiced at the senate meetings, SGA members can vote and create legislation to present to university administration at the next president’s meeting with Dr. Timothy Trainor.
Smith expressed her excitement for having the opportunity to coordinate senate meetings, “I love presenting information, hearing feedback, being a resource and advocating for people… that’s right up my alley.” The weekend of Oct. 31 was Smith’s first president’s meeting, on which she reflected, “it was rewarding hearing our thoughts be spoken on and really being heard.” Issues ranging from the lack of trash cans on campus to more serious topics such as racial injustice are being addressed under Smith’s leadership.
Although Smith is a busy student-athlete, she manages to juggle her obligations by staying diligently organized, which aids in her position as an effective SGA Vice President. By utilizing a planner that never leaves her side as well as Outlook calendar, Smith manages to keep track of her time and tackle her responsibilities for the day. Senior Class Vice President Caitlin Sawyer (’21) is confident in Smith’s abilities and attests to her capabilities in a group setting, “Karington has always been welcoming and approachable every time I’ve interacted with her. She’s going to be a great asset for SGA.”
By focusing on student visibility and class unification, Medina is happy to welcome Smith in “playing a part in unifying the whole campus,” which is the main goal of student government. Input from students and participation in SGA operations allows Smith to do her job well. In directing the senate meetings, she feels she will be able to “create symmetry across campus” in considering all voices and opinions to be heard and acted upon. Her message to the Mount community is: “Get involved!” Even if it starts with becoming a member of a club, involvement is vital for the betterment of campus life and student life, two things that play a part in unifying members of the Mount community.
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