UMA : Celebrating Hispanic Student Leaders At UMA

Press release from the University of Maine at Augusta:

2021-10-15

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

As Hispanic Heritage Month draws to a close, it is fitting that we highlight two of our emerging Hispanic leaders at UMA and see what they have to say about their roles in SGA. We are lucky at UMA to have such thoughtful and engaged student leaders.

Grace Hills serves as the Vice President of Bangor SGA

“Mi nombre es, (My name is), Grace Katherine Hills Prado. This is my second year at UMA and I’m proud to be elected as Vice-President for the Bangor campus. One of the things I’m looking forward to doing is to help coordinate events for the students. Outside of school I work in a health care setting where I plan events for the elderly and make sure they always have something making them smile! Hispanic Heritage month is something that really sticks out to me and as I come from a Chilean background. I believe having diversity in leadership allows us to expand on ideas and makes sure that more of the student body is heard. One of the things that I would really love to do this year is an event that allows all us to share our cultures. If you have any ideas, please email me at Grace.Hills@maine.edu, I’m looking forward to hearing from you.”

David León serves as the SGA President for Augusta

“Hola! Mi nombre es, (My name is), David León. I am a 44-year-old Hispanic Army Veteran presently pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science with a concentration in psychology at the University of Maine at Augusta. I am the President of Student Government, the Chair of the General Assembly, a member of the DEI council, and member of the honors program. As a student leader, one of my primary responsibilities is to advocate for and create a student forum where students may air their issues and we, the elected student body, can respond to those concerns. Because I’m Puerto Rican, I’m open to learning about and appreciating different cultures. Cultural heritage is a record of a society’s ways of life as they have been handed down through the years. We must never forget where we came from. Feel free to reach out to me at david.leon@maine.edu.”

This press release was produced by the University of Maine at Augusta. The views expressed here are the author’s own.