UWF Student Body President elected chair of Florida Student Association

On May 20, the Florida Student Association elected University of West Florida Student Body President Kishane Patel to serve as chair for the 2017-18 academic year.

The Florida Student Association is an organization representing more than 300,000 students in the State University System. As chair, Patel will serve as the student representative and voting member of the Florida State University System’s Board of Governors.

“I am incredibly excited and humbled to be elected as Chair of the Florida Student Association and to represent students in the Florida State University System,” said Patel. “With this year’s Board of Directors, we will innovate creative solutions to statewide issues by building critical relationships in the state capital and advocating for student needs. We will be the voice for every student to ensure that all constituents are being heard.”

FSA is composed of 12 student body presidents from Florida’s state universities and their respective staffs. With a commitment to quality education, the mission of the Florida Student Association is to advocate the interests of the state university students at all levels of government.

“Kishane has distinguished himself as an extraordinary student since the day he arrived on our campus,” said UWF President Martha Saunders. “I am pleased, but not surprised, that others have recognized his abilities. He will be an excellent and active member of the Board of Governors.”

Jalisa White, Florida Gulf Coast University, was elected as internal vice chair and Samantha Mims, University of North Florida, was elected as external vice chair.

Patel is a senior political science major with a criminal justice minor. During his time at UWF, he has focused on improving the student experience by finding creative solutions to complex problems with the resources at hand. Prior to being elected the student body president of UWF SGA, Patel served as the student body vice president and chief of staff.

This is the second consecutive year that a UWF student will serve as chair and the second time that a UWF student will serve on the Board of Governors, following last year’s SGA student body president Jacob Hebert.

For more information about the University of West Florida Student Government Association, visit uwf.edu/sga.