Senior student body president and vice president, Emma McCarthy and Mary Joy Dingler, set out to accomplish several goals this year in an effort to increase transparency between student government and the Saint Mary's community.
McCarthy said in an email she feels honored to have served Saint Mary's alongside Dingler while representing student government association (SGA).
“I am so proud of everything we accomplished this year,” she said. “We had a very ambitious platform, and being able to accomplish everything on our list was immensely rewarding,” McCarthy said.
Dingler said in an email that she and McCarthy strove to collaborate with other campus organizations and foster unity.
“We were able to collaborate with Student Activities Board to host a Spring Fling, and we showed ‘Hidden Figures’ and connected with the community beyond our tri-campus environment,” she said.
Dingler said she and McCarthy were able to complete their goal of transparency with the help of committee chairs.
“Our committee chairs were excellent in helping us follow through on our platform,” Dingler said. “In terms of transparency, I think my favorite accomplishment is publishing our checklists at the end of each semester, so we could really keep the student body informed of what SGA was doing.”
One of the challenges the pair faced was improvising, McCarthy said.
“One of the things we quickly had to learn on the job was to expect the unexpected,” McCarthy said. “Whether it was rain on the day of a planned outdoor event or an additional responsibility to take on, we always took things in stride.”
Dingler said she learned different ways to work toward goals by serving the Saint Mary's community.
“We learned to think creatively and be innovative,” she said. “There were a lot of opportunities that arose this year that we were able to integrate with our platform goals.”
Some of Dingler’s favorite memories from her time as student body vice president include interacting with the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
“My favorite events were the two we held with the Novices, which were an excellent way to establish a connection with the Sisters and bring two important aspects of our College together,” she said.
McCarthy said her favorite event was creating Thank You Day for the College’s faculty, staff and administration.
“One of my favorite things we did this year was establish Thank You Day,” she said. “We are so blessed at Saint Mary’s to have the most hardworking faculty, staff and administrators, and being able to thank them for all that they do for us was a wonderful way to end [our] administration,” she said.
McCarthy said she encourages next year’s incoming president and vice president, Bailey Oppman and Lydia Lorenc, to enjoy every moment.
“The best advice I would give is just to enjoy this next year,” she said. “Being student body president and vice president is the honor of a lifetime, and they should soak up every minute of the awesome role they are now in,” she said.
Dingler said Oppman and Lorenc should be grateful for the positions since not many students have an opportunity to lead the school.
“I would tell them to savor every minute and to remember to be thankful for the opportunity they have been given,” she said. “They’ll have a tremendous opportunity to get to know faculty, staff and administration, so I would tell them it’s important to value those connections and to be grateful for the amazing role they have.”
