Pictured left to right is John Brinkman, Loryn May, Olivia Mikkelsen and Elijah Hooks, respectfully, newly elected members in the Florida Student Association (FSA) Photo Courtesy: FSA
The Florida Student Association (FSA) has declared its newly elected leadership team for the 2024-2025 school year term. The FSA serves as a non-profit corporation that brings together university student body presidents from all universities in the state of Florida.
The mission of the FSA is to represent and speak up for the interests and worries of students at all levels of decision-making by becoming a voice on their behalf. Serving as FSA president and chairman is John Brinkman, a graduate student pursuing a Masters of Science in Management at the University of Florida.
As for external vice-president and vice-chair, Olivia Mikkelsen, a third-year psychology and anthropology student from New College of Florida will be assuming that position. Two of Florida A&M University’s(FAMU) own have assumed executive positions within the FSA this year.
Loryn May, a fourth-year Mathematics Education student and newly elected Student Body President for FAMU’s Student Government Association(SGA) will step into the role of internal vice-president/vice-chair for the 2024-2025 term. The FSA reports that May plans to make a lasting impact on FAMU’s campus and the broader student community.
Elijah Hooks, a graduating Political Science student and former student body Attorney General and Senator in FAMU’s Student Government Association, has assumed a new role within the FSA, which is senior advisor. This switch in position comes after he served as the chief-of-staff for the FSA for the 2023-2024 term.
Hooks initially became a part of the FSA executive team under previous SGA President Londe Mondelus.
“President Mondelus gave me the opportunity to go to a FSA meeting with her at Florida Polytechnic University…after some discussions with the FSA board, they were interested in a chief-of-staff,” said Hooks.
After various interviews, Hooks was selected by a board of 12 members, and became the first African-American student to serve in that position. Hooks is grateful for the opportunity to serve one more time, which is a testament to his value on the board.
“They didn’t have to allow me to stay on as a staff member, but they valued my input and my insight,” said Hooks.
Hooks, along with the board of directors, are looking into a project that would get at least 60% of all registered collegiate-voters in the state of Florida to the polls this upcoming election season. More information on future projects is soon to come, but Hooks let us know that a project that the Florida student body can look forward to is deals with in-state tuition.
“If you [stay] within a certain percentage or mileage of the university campus, then you would be eligible for an In-State tuition waiver,” said Hooks. Hooks is currently looking into more resources for graduate and transfer students, as they often feel left out and are an important asset to the Floridian University system.
For follow-ups and more information, students can follow the FSA on instagram at instagram.com/fsa.fl.