Following a victorious election this past semester, business major Brooke Patry will serve as the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s 2023-2024 Student Government Association President.
Originally from North Carolina and having moved to South Georgia from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, President Patry served in a variety of leadership positions prior to her presidency.
Her previous experience includes a tenure as Vice President for ABAC’s Women in Business Club, a position as an ambassador for the Stanford School of Business, and her current work as a Resident Assistant at Lakeside.
In an interview, she expressed a desire to continuing building the SGA’s connections with students, saying, “I want them to know I’m here to advocate for their needs.”
For newer students unfamiliar with her organization, the SGA serves as a bridge between the students and faculty, giving a voice to any concerns raised by ABAC’s student body.
In addition, SGA personnel work to build relationships with students themselves, fostering greater levels of involvement from the ABAC community and allowing them to address issues impacting student life more effectively.
The efforts of SGA members have resulted in several quality-of-life improvements for ABAC students, such as the walking paths between the Alumni House, Lakeside, and the Horticulture Building.
For President Patry, continuing to improve students’ quality of life remains a top priority, with both her and the SGA currently working to address problems regarding dormitories.
Issues ranging from poor dorm quality due to overcrowding to lacking laundry services are among the most prevalent student concerns under the SGA’s consideration.
President Patry commented on the latter issue, saying, “we’re seeing if it would be possible to build a small laundromat for the students to use.”
She also emphasized her goal of connecting the SGA more with its target audience, describing how “the SGA is viewed as a sort of secret society by some of the student body, and we’d like to change that perception of us.”
In improving students’ knowledge of the SGA, President Patry hopes to increase the level of engagement between her organization and the community, thus allowing them to serve students more effectively while ensuring growth for the SGA itself.
She further noted her plans to get ABAC’s many resources more out-in-front of students so they might gain a better idea of just how much the school offers them.
These plans include dormitory residents and commuters, with Patry having the perspective of each side as a former commuter.
In her final remarks to ABAC’s students, Patry stressed her high hopes for the semester, saying, “I’m very excited. You all elected me and the SGA members for this semester and we’re looking forward to hitting the ground running. We’re here for you, we are your voice.”
