McConnell Scholars hold top positions in student government

By Madelin Shelton

Louisville, Ky. (August 4, 2023) – McConnell Scholars are serving in leading roles in the Student Government Association (SGA) for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Katie Hayden (’24) and Sawyer Depp (’24) were elected to the Top 4 of SGA as the student body president and academic vice president, respectively. Yelena Bagdasaryan (’24) was selected for the Top 4 of the Engage Lead Serve Board (ELSB) as the programming director. Allie Rose Phillips (’25) will serve as the programming director for the Student Activities Board.

The Engage Lead Serve Board, a component of SGA, is responsible for planning and promoting community engagement opportunities for students. The Student Activities Board is the programming arm of SGA and works to provide quality, fun, and educational events and programs for the student body.

“I am so honored to have the privilege of serving in this position over the next year and am even more grateful to have the opportunity to do so alongside some of the most dedicated individuals I know,” said Hayden. “I am so thankful for the overwhelming support and encouragement I have found through the McConnell Center and the family I have found in my peers.”

McConnell Scholars also hold other leadership positions throughout SGA:

“McConnell Scholars have been leading on campus for three decades and I am so proud of the current group who are serving their fellow students and the wider campus community with dignity, strength, and creativity,” said McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg.

Leadership is one of the three pillars of the McConnell Scholars Program, along with scholarship and service. McConnell Scholars are selected, in part, for their demonstrated leadership capabilities and are well known for these skills, which they continue to hone during their time at the University of Louisville.