Student Leader (SGA) Scholarship Fund
About The Student Government Association (SGA)
The University of Maryland Student Government Association (SGA) serves as the primary representative body for all undergraduate students. The SGA forms resolutions to address student concerns, assist student groups in their missions and programming, and advocate for students through the appropriate university, local, state, and national government channels. Through their efforts and outreach, they strive to create a better undergraduate experience and community at the University of Maryland.
About The Fund
The Student Leader Scholarship supports student leaders with financial need by allowing them to spend less time working to pay for college and more time acting as on campus change-makers and student advocates for their fellow Terps. By providing the funds these student leaders would normally work to earn as income at a part-time job, this scholarship gives student leaders at UMD the chance to more easily professionally develop, gain leadership skills, and have the chance to make impactful change on campus before they graduate.
About SGA Members
Doron Tadmor ’20 International Business and Finance
How has being a student leader enhanced your college experience?
Being a leader, whether it be in a club, organization, or the workplace, is very important for personal development. Although being a leader may be stressful, it has given me many valuable things, such as better communication and conflict management skills, and self-confidence.
Why do you think the Student Leader Scholarship is important and how do you think it will help?
Leadership development is a key tool for personal development on a grand scale. Becoming a leader not only affects how you will shape the lives of others, but it affects the shaping of your own life directly. Student group leaders but extra effort and time to help and guide others. We need more leaders in society, and we recognize the fact that finances are an issue to many students. The scholarship will allow student leaders to not worry so much about working to cover expenses, but rather focus on bettering the student body.
Lillian Kilduff ’19 Sociology
How has being a student leader enhanced your college experience?
My experience as an SGA legislator has fully brought me into the university community. As a transfer student, I had a some difficulty adjusting to a new environment. But my involvement has enabled me to bring about positive change, meet inspirational fellow students, and also gain experience in my career field.
Why do you think the Student Leader Scholarship is important and how do you think it will help?
The scholarship will give every student at the university an opportunity to gain the same valuable experiences I have had, no matter their financial constraints. College should be about learning and practicing what you want to do for the rest of your life. But this is unattainable for a lot of fellow students for reasons they cannot control. The scholarship will help bridge this gap and give more students the opportunity to take full advantage of their college experience.
Bryce Lapicca ’19 Business
Why do you think the SLG is important and how do you think it will help?
The scholarship is a great opportunity to get more members of the UMD student body involved in clubs that will ultimately lead to better opportunities in the future. This grant should extend current leadership opportunities on campus to more Terps. I am hopeful that with funding for this grant we will be able to improve, diversify, and grow in our leadership capabilities as a campus.
Fasika Delessa ’18 Business Management
If you have ever been a leader of a student group please describe the experience and how it helped you.
I've had the privilege of being a leader in various student groups on campus. Currently I serve as the Vice President of Academic Affairs in the SGA. This has has challenged me and pushed me outside of my comfort zone all in service of wanting to better the campus community. I've learned so much from the students I've worked with, as well as the administration leaders I've had the privilege of getting to know. There are certain things no classroom can teach you, and I believe student leadership on campus and all skills acquired from it fall under that category.
Why do you think the Student Leader Scholarship is important and how do you think it will help?
Every student at the University of Maryland should have the opportunity to fully experience all we have to offer. There are far too many students who have to make the unfortunate trade-off of working to make rent rather than getting involved in the more than 1,000 student groups our University proudly totes. The Student Leadership Grant is not the answer to all of our concerns, nor will it wave a magic wand over the rising price of tuition, textbooks, rent, living expenses, etc. , but rather, it will make a difference in the lives of a few students who will no longer have to sacrifice the experience of student leadership on campus for the sake of longer hours. It's not the magic wand, but it sure is a start.
Hassanatu (Haja) Savage ’17 Government and Politics/Arabic Studies
If you have ever been a leader of a student group please describe the experience and how it helped you.
I have been a student group leader in multiple organizations during my time here at UMD. Being a student group leader has significantly enhanced my ability to lead effectively, network with diverse groups of individuals, and to manage multiple priorities at a time. I could not imagine my college experience being as great as it has been without these opportunities. Being a student group leader has significantly helped me learn important life lessons that will definitely help me in my future careers that I would have not otherwise learned the classroom.
Why do you think the Student Leader Scholarship is important and how do you think it will help?
The scholarship is important because balancing the responsibilities of taking multiple classes, being a student group leader, and being financially stable can be challenging at times. I personally had to resign from being a leader in an organization that I was very passionate about in order to accept an offer for a different paid leadership position. The scholarship would permit student leaders to have the opportunity to experience the many benefits of leading an organization without worrying about having the burden of working additional part-time jobs. Being a student group leader is a very rewarding experience but can also be extremely demanding, this grant would greatly benefit many students.
Nisha Desai ’18 English Language and Literature
If you have ever been a leader of a student group please describe the experience and how it helped you.
In my experiences on campus in leadership positions for both Maryland Discourse and the SGA, I have developed both hard professional skills and equally important soft skills that will help me in the career I have ahead of me. Personally, leadership roles have helped me develop my own sense of self-confidence and self-worth.
Why do you think the Student Leader Scholarship is important and how do you think it will help?
Student leaders effect change on campus all of the time - and often do it for very little glory or recognition. Running between classes, meetings, and work is a struggle for anyone, but even more of a struggle when you're constantly worried about housing, food, or any number of related financial issues.
Leah Barteldes ’19 Government and Politics
If you have ever been a leader of a student group please describe the experience and how it helped you.
Being a student group leader has allowed me to grow in confidence in myself and my ability to lead. It has allowed me to benefit from the perspectives of many different people, including those who have different backgrounds, upbringings or ideologies from myself. The leadership opportunities that student groups can provide have given me a way to give back to a University that has given me so much already.
Why do you think the Student Leader Scholarship is important and how do you think it will help?
While anyone can be a leader through their own hard work and virtue, often, obstacles come up preventing students of lower socioeconomic status from getting involved in student groups or leadership opportunities. When a student has to work, they lose the opportunity to pursue organizations that they are passionate about. And as a result, these groups lose the valuable skills and perspectives these students could provide. The scholarship could close this leadership gap by allowing students of all economic backgrounds to lead.
Past Scholars
