Seven new members elected to StuComm
By Kelsey Donk Arts and Entertainment Editor
The Kalamazoo College student body elected six first-year students to the Student Commission on Wednesday, Sept. 27. Students cast 379 ballots for 14 candidates. Maria Luisa Garnica ’14 Morroquin said she was also asked to join StuComm as a junior member. Get to know the seven new commissioners:
Rian Brown, ’16, Cleveland, OH
First-year commissioner Rian Brown said she ran for StuComm because she believes in fair representation. “I’ve always been an active part of my schools student government,” Brown said. “I like to be involved. The representation of the body as a whole should always be considered.” This quarter, Brown said she hopes to make sure the commission follows through on their promise to be transparent. “They discussed their visibility at the meetings, but I want to make sure that happens,” she said.
Photo submitted by Katherine Stevenson.
Maria Luisa Garnica Morroquin, ’14, Guatamala City, Guatamala
Junior commissioner Maria Luisa Garnica Morroquin said she joined StuComm because the commission needed another junior member. “I’ve always been interested in what StuComm does and it wasn’t until now that I got the chance to be part of it,” Garnica said. “I see the value of Student Commission in that its made out of peers. I’m actually surprised at how diverse the commission is in terms of ethnicity and in backgrounds.”
Ogden Wright ’16, Kingston, Jamaica
Commissioner Ogden Wright said his priority this year is to become an active member of the college campus. As a four-year international student, he said he recognizes that his role in the commission is different from that of his American peers. “I see my role as a member of the college community,” Wright said, “but also as an international student, I’m representing a small group of students.”
Chloe Mpinga,’16, Johannesburg, South Africa
First-year commissioner Chloe Mpinga said she’s excited to be involved with a student organization and said she hopes to help other members of the campus find their roles. “Being able to interact with the students is important to me,” Mpinga said, “as well as being able to help the student body voice it’s opinions.” Mpinga said she wants StuComm to aim to “increase awareness about the student commission and to encourage other students, especially upperclassmen, to get involved.”
Graham Wojtas, ’16, Macomb, Michigan
Photo submitted by Katherine Stevenson.
Commissioner Graham Wojtas said he has one specific goal for his first quarter as a student commissioner. “I’d really like the gym hours to be extended until 1:00 a.m.,” Wojtas said, “I know a lot of other schools have gyms open 24 hours or really late at night.” Wojtas said he’s excited to be on StuComm because he will have an opportunity to change things like the gym hours.
Kelly Ohlrich, ’16, Shanghai, China
Being elected to StuComm was an important moment for first-year commissioner Kelly Ohlrich. “It means feeling welcome and it means getting to know the people that I wanted to know,” Ohlrich said, “It’s the experience I wanted.” She said she hopes to make StuComm open to the rest of the student body. “People need to realize that they’re welcome to come and sit in on the meetings and ask for things, if they want to,” she said.
Alexis Charles, ’16, West Bloomfield, MI
First-year commissioner Alexis Charles said she ran for StuComm because student organization involvement is a responsibility for all students. “It’s like a social responsibility to keep involved in the school and to know everything that’s going on, so I don’t miss out on anything,” Charles said. “I think it’s really cool that my peers that I’ve only known for a couple of weeks trusted me enough to elect me. It’s really exciting.”
