TSU announces newly elected SGA leaders

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The Tennessee State University Student Government Association has welcomed a new group of officers for the 2024-2025 academic year, many of whom are familiar faces within the student delegation. The new student leadership, including Mister TSU and Miss TSU, was announced after a competitive student election commission week.

One of those familiar faces is Chrishonda O’Quinn, who now serves as the 84th SGA president after previously holding the position of SGA vice president. O’Quinn, a junior from Chicago, Illinois, is studying business administration with a minor in mathematics. Anyah Sanders, a junior from Miami, Florida, studying biology and previously the Junior Class president, was elected as the new SGA Vice President.

Chandler Holt, a rising senior from Birmingham studying health sciences, was crowned as the 95th Miss TSU. Chandler Cotton, a junior studying biology, was elected as the new Mister TSU and will accompany Holt.

Cristal Powell-Roach, assistant dean of student activities and leadership, expressed excitement about working with the dynamic newly elected leaders while the students embrace new opportunities for growth and development. “We have a great team,” Powell-Roach said. “I am very excited about our winners.”

O’Quinn expressed gratitude for the support from the students and faculty who entrusted her to return and assume the presidency. “It honestly warms my heart, and it makes me eager to really hit the ground running this year,” she said. “I'm happy I was able to have a year in a position like Vice President because I fully understand student leadership, especially within the top four, and how to be effective and help the student body. Being vice president taught me a lot about student leadership and how to implement change within a role like that.”

Sanders said she watched O'Quinn do an amazing job as vice president for the 2023-24 academic school year and wanted to follow suit. “She (O’Quinn) set the standard, and I wanted to not only build on the work that she did but also make an impact on my own,” Sanders said. She looks forward to maintaining and amplifying organizations on campus and bridging any gaps between administration and students.

Holt, who once served on the Pre-Alumni Council, said her sophomore year she witnessed coronation, and that is when she envisioned becoming Miss TSU one day. She noted that she felt like God aligned her life to have this experience. “It was such a pivotal moment,” Holt said after the SEC announcements. “It just feels unreal. I look forward to focusing on overcoming and addressing the challenges that we face as students. I want to prioritize the students’ well-being in a mental and physical state. I want to ensure that we all are one and that we all support each other.”

The 34th Mister TSU elect, Cotton, who was recently selected as one of only five students nationwide to receive the prestigious 2024 Jordan Smith Undergraduate Student Fellowship Award, said he is also grateful for the opportunity. O’Quinn expressed confidence that the student leaders will take proactive steps towards achieving their desired goals on campus with a positive narrative.