Making the Most of SF
Words of wisdom from guest columnist, Michael Salvo
As things slow down a little bit for the summer, The Compass moves to a biweekly format. We’ll be back next week with more news and opportunities to get engaged, but this week I am honored (no pun intended) to share insights from Michael Salvo, a recent Honors graduate who spent the past several years giving back to the SF community.
Good afternoon everyone! I'm Michael Salvo, your 2024-2025 Student Body Chief Justice, lab aid for Sciences for Health Programs, 2025 Hall of Fame inductee, former Senator for Chess Club, Treasurer for PTK, and a proud Honors student. I was asked to share with you wonderful lot my experiences with getting involved on campus! In my opinion, the most important part of getting involved is knowing what is available to you.
Connect with clubs
There are many leadership opportunities on campus, some more time consuming then others, but all very worthwhile. Not enough students know that if you, and two of your friends, want to create a club, you can! Santa Fe has clubs ranging from anthropology, to coding and game design, to Chess (my favorite), to chemistry, to art, and so on. In fact, if you haven't seen us at the Club Rush events hosted at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters, the Honors Program itself has a club affiliated with it called Phi Theta Kappa. If you are interested in joining any club on campus, go to https://www.sfcollege.edu/student-life/get-involved/student-organizations/join-a-club.html and send an email to the listed contact. If for some reason they do not respond, email your Senate President at sgsenate@sfcollege.edu, your Senate Pro Tempore at sgsenateco@sfcollege.edu, and your Club Coordinator at sgclubcoord@sfcollege.edu for any and all club-related questions.
Now, what do you do once in the club? Take on a leadership position! Every club is structured differently, but in most clubs there is a President, a Vice President, a Treasurer, and a Senator. Now, I am quite biased in thinking that Senator is the best position because I was one for around 2 years, and I will explain why I think it is the best shortly, however all positions are a wonderful way to get involved on campus and gain some leadership experience.
Serve in Senate
Okay, on to why I think Senate is amazing. Firstly, there are three different types of Senators: Academic, Club, and At-Large. Academic Senators represent an academic department or program, and report to the chair or head of said department or program. Club Senators represent their club and report back to their respective leadership team. At-Large Senators represent the student body as a whole. The purpose of Senate is to get together and act as representatives of the student body to the College and in Student Government Elections. Senate has most recently advocated for more accessibility on campus, and to get the potholes fixed as soon as possible. You can be a part of changing the campus for the better. Also, Senate is a wonderful place to make connections with like-minded individuals. Not only that, you can get a lot of information on what else is happening at the college, such as information about the next topic!
Support your community through volunteering
Volunteering is a great way to get involved on campus, whether it is through Student Life with Civic Engagement Services, or through clubs like Rotaract or Saints at Work. For CES, visit https://www.sfcollege.edu/student-life/get-involved/civic-engagement-and-service/community-service.html for more information. Feel free to email our Civic Engagement and Service Specialist jacob.clore@sfcollege.edu and our Associate Director of Student Life doug.bagby@sfcollege.edu if you have any questions.
Pursue Prestigious Positions
Now, there are some pretty prestigious positions on campus for student leadership. These include the Student Government positions of President, VP, Treasurer, Chief Justice, Senate President, Senate Pro Tempore, Programs Events Chair, and Programs Finance Chair. All positions are elected by the student body in the Spring semester for the next fiscal year, either on the ballot or through Senate. The positions come with a parking spot or blue parking pass, an office, and a full ride scholarship at the in-state rate for up to 12 credit hours for Fall and Spring and 6 credit hours for the Summer. Although they are a lot of work, running for one of these positions is one of the best leadership opportunities on campus.
Other prestigious positions on campus include the Ambassadors. The Ambassadors act as the face of Santa Fe College, giving tours and assisting with events. They go through a rigorous interview process, and if selected, receive the same scholarship given to Student Government. It is a wonderful way to develop strong communication, customer service, and interpersonal skills on campus. Both Student Government and Ambassadors may receive a letter of recommendation at their request from our College President, Dr. Broadie
A recent, yet just as prestigious position at Santa Fe is the Honors Navigator program, which I am sure you have heard so much about. We all have seen the work the Navigators put into the Honors Program through events and their office hours. Like both the Ambassadors and Student Government, the Navigators need to show leadership to the highest degree.
Although applying for these positions may be daunting, it is always worth trying. I ran for Student Body President, and although I lost, the experience itself taught me a lot.
Develop Your Leadership Skills
There is also the Emerging Leaders and Engaged Leaders leadership training! Emerging Leaders is held in the Fall and focuses on self-leadership and how to be a good leader, and Engaged Leaders is held in the Spring and focuses more on how to lead others. At the end you get a fancy award as well.
Connect through Classes and Work
Now onto some things I just recommend doing. I can not emphasize this enough, make lasting connections with your teachers! They are your ticket to greater things. Almost all the professors at Santa Fe are very willing to help, they are just waiting to be asked. I also recommend finding a position at SF to work if it is viable for you to do so. It is good experience, and allows you to make more connections.
Ok! That’s it from me, thank you all so much for all you do, please feel free to reach me at michael.salvo@sfcollege.edu with any questions until the account gets deleted.
Wishing you all the best,
Michael Salvo