Photo courtesy of Liz Kameen.

For the first time in Moravian history, all executive positions in the United Student Government (USG) board are comprised of women, including the first female president and vice-president duo: President Kayla Biege ‘25, nursing major, and Executive Vice-President Lili Brockway ‘25, English major with a double minor in French and sociology. 

The all-female composition of the board is monumental in many ways. For one, it represents a welcome shift in leadership trends, in which women are statistically less likely to run for a position within colligate student governments, despite making up more than half the population of college campuses.  This is also representative of Moravian’s student body, with 63% of undergraduates identifying as women – but these women are changing the dynamic. 

In simple terms, Beige describes USG as a body of individuals determined to make a difference in the Moravian community while providing a support system for clubs and other student-run activities on campus. 

When considering whether to run for the presidential position, Beige said that her family and the previous term president, Michael Irving, were her biggest supporters. 

“Mike Irving believed in Beige and myself. His support … was indescribable,” Brockway said. 

Brockway and Beige also credit the USG advisor, Vivianna Samite Estevez, Associate Director of Student Engagement, for encouraging them to be their best. 

“My family has been a very, very large support system, and they’ve taught me to be confident in my abilities, and without them, I probably would not have taken this position,” Beige said. “They were encouraging me to be president from the start just because they knew what I was capable of.”

During their term, Beige and Brockway hope to solidify the relationship between board members while embodying a family-like connection within the student government. They also hope to improve and strengthen some of USG’s signature programs, like the Hygiene Product and Hound Discount program, while ensuring regular events such as Club Fair run as smoothly as possible. 

In her tenure at USG, Beige said she has noticed that clubs feel more comfortable reaching out to the student government with concerns, something she is incredibly proud of accomplishing throughout her years on USG. However, she said her proudest moment was leading the rest of the student government in their inauguration oath.

“I was looking at the rest of the board, and just being able to guide them in their oath was very heartwarming to see that people looked up to me like that,” she said. 

Brockway agreed with Beige, saying that her proudest moment on USG was seeing the support of the previous officers of the student government at the new board’s inauguration. 

“To see Beige on that stage on her own, I felt like a proud mom or something. We’ve come so far from little freshmen, and now I get to watch Beige take on this amazing role,” Brockway said.

Brockway noted she was also proud of this term’s Winter Retreat, as it was the most successful one held to date. 

One of Beige’s favorite parts of her position at USG is seeing students’ reactions to things that the board is doing around campus, especially when they get excited about things USG is working to change. For Brockway, her favorite aspects of being involved in the student government would be the connections she has made both within and outside the board and seeing everyone’s hard work paying off behind the scenes. 

Both Brockway and Beige are incredibly involved on campus in addition to their USG positions. Brockway is the 2024 Admissions Office Intern, Head North Campus Trainer as a 26 Points Ambassador, a Student Alumni Representative, Treasurer of Zinzendorf Literary Society, Director of Service and Giving for the Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority, Humanities Fellow, Writing Fellow, Quantitative Resource Center Tutor, and a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Sigma Iota, Alpha Kappa Delta, and Omicron Delta Kappa. Beige is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Tri Beta, Student Nurse Association, and a Student Alumni Representative while also working as a HUB Desk Manager. 

With their busy schedules, Beige recommends using lists to stay organized. Brockway has a system of sticky notes, utilizes Google Calendar, and also values the people around her who gently remind her whenever she misses something on her schedule. 

Brockway would like to add that if anyone has any questions about USG, what the organization does, or just a general remark, the board would love to hear from them, whether it is through email, approaching a board member, or even attending a general meeting that is open to the public, every Tuesday at 4:45 p.m. in PPHAC 113. 

Other executive board members include Cielo Disla ‘25, Vice President of Club Outreach, Liz Kameen ‘26, Vice-President of Internal Operations, Aylia Mahon ‘26, Vice President of Student Engagement, and Grace DiDomenico ‘26, Vice President of Finance. 

Beige would like to add, “If you have a passion and you have the slightest inkling that ‘yes, I can do it,’ do it. Go for it.”