New Student Government Association President Takes the Lead

ATLANTA - As Georgia State University students begin a new academic year, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies senior Zaina Jean-Bart is beginning her term as president of the university's 97th Student Government Association (SGA).

Jean-Bart, a first-generation undergraduate student studying public policy and minoring in political science, enters the role after spending much of the past year visiting and talking with students across Georgia State's campuses. Born into a Congolese family, the Loganville, Ga., native connected with students from various backgrounds about their experiences at Georgia State and shared her plans for SGA.

Jean-Bart acknowledges the opportunities she's had through Georgia State and the connections she's made, and hopes to share them in ways that empower others.

"We all have a purpose to uplift and inspire each other to be the best versions of ourselves," Jean-Bart said.

Through the Model African Union, the Office of Leadership and Service and her classes, Jean-Bart has taken the time to listen to what students want out of their educational experience, including students she visited at Georgia State's Clarkston and Dunwoody campuses.

Those conversations now take on new importance as she begins leading SGA for the academic year.

Over the previous two years, Jean-Bart worked under James Wilson (B.S. '25), president of the 95th and 96th SGAs, serving in both of his cabinets. She credits Wilson with laying a foundation she hopes to build upon.

"Seven means perfection and completion. Now, as president of the 97th SGA, it is my time to complete the legacy that Zayvion Sheppard [president of the 94^th SGA] and James have laid for me, to push it forward and make SGA even better for the next administration," Jean-Bart said. She is proud to be leading "the best SGA in the state."

As the fall semester gets underway, Jean-Bart says she feels equipped to take on the duties and responsibilities of the presidency. The SGA leadership legacy she follows and the support she received from her campaign team, including Emuye Hussen, Moriah Kelley and Nayeli Bojorge Arredondo, helped prepare her for the role.

As Jean-Bart looks toward the year ahead, she also reflects on her time in Model African Union and living in Congo with her family, experiences that continue to inspire the work she is doing at Georgia State.

Her ambitions extend beyond her SGA term. Jean-Bart plans to pursue a master's degree in public policy and continue developing her writing skills, with the goal of one day writing policy both internationally and domestically.

For now, her focus is on the Georgia State students she represents and the opportunity to build on the work of the leaders who came before her.

- Story by Grace Toland, Coverdell Fellow, Urban Studies Institute, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies