Earlier this semester students at Bryn Mawr elected the Self-Government Association Executive Board for the 2025-2026 academic year. I recently sat down for an interview with Esénia Bañuelos ‘26, the new SGA President-Elect.
Bañuelos has long been an advocate for accessibility. In her first year here at Bryn Mawr she was a member of the Access Services Committee and was inspired by the 2023 SGA president Ananya Hindocha as she revived that committee from being dormant in years prior.
When asked about her goals as SGA President, Bañuelos claimed that the newly elected E-board had already started goal setting on Monday, March 3. Although she began listing a plethora of aspirations for the coming years her main focuses were clear: protect, connect, and represent students. She is “incredibly driven at every opportunity to connect and represent students.”
Bañuelos aims to reinforce the college’s diverse community and “make sure that everyone knows what the S in SGA stands for.” A specific plan of hers is to make sure people are more informed about SGA and their importance on the college campus. She thinks that presentations concentrated on SGA during the required first-year’s THRIVE course in addition to the brief introduction that first year students would have attended during their customs week at the beginning of fall semester.
Bañuelos aims to also shift the perception of SGA and allow students to be more confident in their efforts as a representative association. Specifically, she is working on starting a column with the Bi-Co News for more widespread information. In addition, Bañuelos will provide a Calendly link to students so they can have one-on-one meetings with her to discuss concerns or give suggestions. She hopes to create better dialogue and connection between the SGA and students and will work to make sure that everyone involved reflects and is equally committed to the same goals.
Esénia Bañuelos accepts the challenge of stepping into this vital role in the Bryn Mawr College community. As a final word, she would like everyone to know that she is “an accessible person, period.”
