HCC Southwest SGA students win regional honor
Apr 11, 2024
Creativity and hard work have paid off for the HCC Southwest Student Government Association (SGA) with its selection as Region 5 Chapter of the Year by the Texas Junior College Student Government Association. The SGA will compete this summer for statewide honors.
The award marks the second consecutive year the SGA team has won the regional top honor from the association. The statewide award winner will be announced at the AT&T Convention Center in Austin this summer.
The Southwest SGA chapter accomplished the regional milestone in March through a flurry of activities that included enlisting student volunteers to distribute food to people in need and volunteering at the HCC Scripps Regional Spelling Bee in March and the Missouri City Holiday Parade last December.
The team also did their homework, said chapter president Avwerosuoghene “Avey” Etaghene, who is in her second year at HCC studying computer science.
“We reached out to previous winners to see what they think allowed them to stand out,” she said. “We incorporated their ideas to show our impact with the events we’ve had and that’s how we got selected.”
The other 2023 – 2024 SGA members at HCC Southwest are Shamama Khan, vice president; Chimuka Opara, secretary; Shainiff Lalani, treasurer; Jessica Rossiny, parliamentarian; Sharon Burinyuy Fuhnjem, humanitarian; and Nabiha Ahmed, historian.
The chapter has 200-plus active members across the four HCC Southwest campuses – West Loop, Brays Oaks, Stafford and Missouri City.
“We’re actually so excited because we weren’t expecting to win,” Etaghene said. “We entered and hoped for the best, and we’re so thrilled to see that our events have impact and are acknowledged regionwide as a chapter.”
Regina Wilson, coordinator of Student Life at HCC Southwest and one of four SGA advisors at HCC Southwest, called the chapter “the most active and most involved” of any student organization on campus.
“They plan their time and they’re able to meet their obligations with all of the involvement that they have on campus,” she said. “They have an excellent balance of academic rigor as well as activities. The skills they’re acquiring now will help them to be leaders wherever they land.”
In addition to vying for Texas SGA Chapter of the Year in August, the group is also competing for Student of the Year with the nomination of chapter president Etaghene. She plans to transfer to the University of Texas at Austin to complete her bachelor's degree and work in artificial intelligence.