Belen Yudess ’25
Social Media Manager
Introducing this semester’s Scripps Associated Students (SAS) team! Last semester, Scripps students were invited to apply to certain SAS positions in order to fill vacancies within the team caused by resignations and students studying abroad. These positions included Vice President of Student Affairs (VSPA) formerly held by Kaitlyn Chen ’24, Diversity and Inclusivity Chair formerly held by Scotland Carter ’24, Student Organizations Commissioner (SOC) formerly held by Destiny Rivera ’24, and 5C Events Chair (5CEC) formerly held by Trinity Walker ’24.
On Jan. 23, SAS sent out an email announcing Melina Durre ’25 would be taking over as VSPA, Simran Sethi ’26 as Diversity and Inclusivity Chair, Tara Zhang ’24 as SOC, and Alexandra Hamilton ’24 as 5CEC. The email also came with the news that SAS President Megan Chow ’23 would be stepping down from her role while SAS Executive Vice President (EVP), Tsion Mamo ’23, would take over as President.
With three years of SAS experience under her belt, Mamo understands the commitments of her new position. “It’s a lot of work, but I’m excited to finish out SAS and to do all the things people like about SAS while adding new things,” said Mamo.
Mamo is a politics major and media studies minor, who apart from SAS, is involved in the 5C Ethiopian Student Association, Watu Weusi, and is a Community Coordinator. She had previously served as Sophomore and Junior Class President.
When it comes to brainstorming and planning events, Mamo’s goal is for SAS to host activities that give students a chance to come together and enjoy one another’s company. “I don’t think there is one type of Scripps student so we have to have events that are about showing love to one another,” she said. “Hopefully one that’s just going to be more fun and just us celebrating, and definitely one around academics like another study hall.”
Dure echoes Mamo’s hope to create spaces that facilitate uplifting environments and are centered around unifying the Scripps community through events. “I think we want to do a few Scripps-only parties and I think that we can all work together to put on something that everyone will enjoy,” said Dure.
“We’re also planning on bringing back the Valentine’s Day hearts that we had last year,” she said. “That’s something I’m really excited for because, as a non-SAS member my freshman year, that was something that really meant a lot to me.”
Durre is a media studies major and biology minor who is also an avid Pokémon Go player, sports enthusiast, and self described film nerd. Aside from her new position on SAS, she is an Admissions Ambassador, a Sponsor for the Asian American Sponsor Program, and a member of the CMS Games Management Team.
Durre decided to apply for VSPA due to her positive experiences with student government during her senior year of high school. “I was in student government in high school when I was a senior and I really liked it, and my one regret was that I didn’t join it earlier,” said Durre.
Similarly, Sethi decided to join SAS because of her desire to become more engaged with the Scripps community. With the majority of her classes being taken off campus, she felt a disconnect from her home campus.
Sethi is a potential neuroscience major and computer science minor who has published a book entitled Bioethics Conduct with Conscience. She is a current LASPA Fellow, a member of the Sikh Student Association, and a writer for the Claremont Journal of Medicine and Social Justice.
The diversity role immediately stuck out to Sethi because Scripps is a primarily white institution (PWI). This would later become an important motivating factor for her while applying. “I love the school, but I know there’s other students of color who are feeling the same thing as me,” she said.
Sethi noted that she has many ideas to showcase the work and creativity specifically for POC students at Scripps. One of these ideas is the creation of an art exhibition. “There’s so many talented students at Scripps,” she said. “If it ranges from art to writing to whatever it is, just to showcase that, especially students of color.”
Mamo applauds this year’s SAS team for their dedication to one another and enthusiasm to collaborate. “I think this year’s group is really good and people are very understanding especially with the transitions,” she said. “They step up and make sure they’re there for each other when planning for different events. I know a lot of the presidents are collaborating on different projects because a lot of people have similar interests.”
Due to the upcoming SAS elections for the 2023-24 school year in April as well as the high number of new members, it was decided that Mamo would retain her position as EVP while also acting as President.
As President, Mamo has the additional responsibilities of leading SAS meetings and directly working with administration. “I’ve also led meetings before and I think right now SAS is just trying to support one another and help each other out and do things that would overall be beneficial to the Scripps community.”
Durre is grateful for the SAS team’s support and kindness throughout her transition into this new role. “I’ve found [SAS] to be extremely welcoming, just right off the bat,” she said. “Everyone is extremely nice and I feel like it’s a very safe space. It’s a very diverse group of people and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone.”
Sethi encourages students, specifically students of color, to reach out to her with any concerns or ideas, and she looks forward to being a system of support within her position. “My goal coming out of any conversation is knowing that I’ve actually done something to better myself, my friends, [and others] who might be going through the same thing,” she said.
Similarly, Mamo and Dure encourage students to reach out to them via email or attend their weekly office hours on Mondays 7:30 to 9:30 pm in the Student Union.
Image Source: Frances Walton ’26
