Monday, April 13, family, friends and members of the College of William and Mary’s Student Assembly gathered for an intimate ceremony in the Sir Christopher Wren Building’s Great Hall. The evening marked the inauguration of the 334th SA president, vice president, graduate council president, class presidents and senators.
SA elections were held Thursday, March 26.
At the beginning of the ceremony, 333rd session Vice President Matt Swenson ’26 said the evening’s focus would be on the role of service in student democracy.
“As we enter the Year of Civic Engagement and 250 years of America’s innovative, yet imperfect, democracy, the importance of student leadership is especially clear,” he said.
Sen. Mayer Tawfik ’27 and class of 2028 President Devaughn Henry ’28 then delivered the College’s land and labor acknowledgements, which emphasize the role of Indigenous and enslaved people in the College’s history.
“One of the main things I’ve been advocating for this last session was more acknowledgement of labor,” Henry said after the ceremony. “With all the work in the meetings, I’ve been able to pull that off.”
333rd session President Zoe Wang ’25 MPP ’26 then took the podium, reflecting on the demands and rewards during her time in SA.
“I’ve come to understand the less glamorous side of the position,” she said. “The many hours spent answering emails and the immense responsibility.”
Wang also praised her administration’s achievements, specifically addressing student visibility concerns via geospatial analysis of lighting, installing new water bottle filling stations and comprehensively reviewing College committees.
She recognized her cabinet, the senators, the staff advisors and the incoming session.
“Student Assembly is in excellent hands,” she said. “I will carry this experience with me long after this moment. Thank you all.”
Next, SA Review Board Chair Zane Peters J.D. candidate ’26 delivered the oath of office.
The event closed with brief remarks from 334th session President Nico Giro-Martin ’27 and Vice President Sophie Kennedy ’27, who highlighted their involvement in SA since their freshman year.
Kennedy recognized their campaign team and SA colleagues.
“We couldn’t have done it without our remarkable, amazing team and supporters,” she said.
After Esma Akram ’26, chief of staff for the Zoe-Wang administration, closed the session, Giro-Martin expressed his excitement for the coming year.
Giro-Martin also commented on the Flock Safety and Firewall for Freedom referendums.
“We want to assuage fears and to make students feel safe on a campus that should be home,” he said.
Kennedy also expressed optimism for the administration’s future.
“We just had Take Back the Night, so we’re looking to make that bigger and better next year,” she said. “We’re also looking into vending machines for health-related items so that you don’t have to go off campus.”
Student attendees spoke highly of the event.
“It was lovely,” Fabi Corso ’28 said. “I do love that there is a really prominent student government at William and Mary.”
334th session Chief of Staff Elif Erdoğan ’27 echoed a similar sentiment.
“Every session represents new students, and each one of them comes with so much potential for impact on this campus,” she said.
Director of Student Leadership Development Anne Arseneau ’89 M.A.Ed ’92 agreed on the importance of student government.
“The ability for the outgoing officers to reflect on the experience that they’ve had and share their reflections with other people is always really valuable,” she said. “That’s what the very heart of democracy and engagement is: representing one another and uplifting their voices.”
Wang and Swenson expressed pride in their accomplishments.
“I think that one of the things I learned is that building relationships is so important,” Swenson said. “Kindness is a very strong professional skill.”
