{"id":109154,"date":"2026-03-13T09:14:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T13:14:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=109154"},"modified":"2026-03-18T10:44:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T14:44:22","slug":"umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"UMW Student Government Association President Plants Seeds of Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_109155\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-109155\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"109155\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;University of Mary Washington senior Amira Said embarked on a leadership journey toward the start of her college career. Now, Said, who was born in Egypt and went to high school in Northern Virginia, serves as SGA president and heads up a major UMW tradition &amp;#8211; ASPIRE Week, a six-day celebration of Mary Washington&amp;#8217;s most quintessential values.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n-1024x768.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-109155 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"University of Mary Washington senior Amira Said embarked on a leadership journey toward the start of her college career. Now, Said, who was born in Egypt and went to high school in Northern Virginia, serves as SGA president and heads up a major UMW tradition - ASPIRE Week, a six-day celebration of Mary Washington's most quintessential values.\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n-300x225.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n-768x576.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/645441133_1333819905441402_1599067123919798889_n.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-109155\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">University of Mary Washington senior Amira Said&#8217;s leadership journey began with the start of her college career. Now, Said, who was born in Egypt and went to high school in Northern Virginia, serves as SGA president and heads up a major UMW tradition &#8211; ASPIRE Week, a six-day celebration of Mary Washington&#8217;s most quintessential values.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you\u2019d asked University of Mary Washington senior Amira Said to describe herself when she first came to campus, she might have used the word \u201cshy.\u201d Now Student Government Association (SGA) president and Class Council treasurer, she\u2019s anything but, especially when it comes to planning one of UMW\u2019s signature events \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/at.umw.edu\/event\/aspire-week-5436\">ASPIRE Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>An acronym for Mary Washington values \u2013 accountability, scholarship, personal and institutional integrity, inclusive excellence, respect and civility, and engagement \u2013 ASPIRE is a campus-wide mantra. It\u2019s celebrated each year with a six-day event launched by one of Said\u2019s SGA president predecessors Jaylyn Long \u201924, who passed the torch to Said when she graduated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic tradition,\u201d Said said, \u201cand a reminder of all the things we stand for and care about here at UMW.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her leadership journey began early in her college career, when she landed a key role on UMW\u2019s Orientation team. As her confidence climbed, she considered various majors but environmental science best fit her ambitions and fueled her efforts to increase conservation \u2013 including composting \u2013 on campus. And for every lesson she learned in the classroom, she discovered something about herself, too, and her power to bring others along on a mission.<\/p>\n<p>Born in Egypt, Said was 7 when her family immigrated to Northern Virginia. A high school college- and career-planning course helped her home in on her interests, and she set out to study marine biology at a coastal college. One visit to UMW washed that plan away. \u201cI went on so many college tours, but none of them felt like Mary Washington \u2013 the beautiful campus, the welcoming environment, the faculty and staff,\u201d said Said, who arrived with enough dual enrollment and AP courses under her belt to feel free to explore \u2026 and also to focus.<\/p>\n<p>She loaded up on computer science courses, then set out to pursue a second major in communication and digital studies, but a lunchtime discovery of tossed-away food at the Cedric Rucker University Center led to a field of study that stuck.<\/p>\n<p>Said took her concerns to Professor of Sociology Eric Bonds, who offered her an individual study position on a composting project, and she hit the ground running, on a mission to turn discarded food into nourishment for University grounds. She earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant and a Sierra Club scholarship grant to build and maintain six compost bins, located in the pollinator garden on the northwest end of campus.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:7,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/13\\\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 255px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"255\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 192px; height: 255px;\" data-original-width=\"192\" data-original-height=\"255\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/img_2036\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"188\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"251\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109161\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1744910220&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.76499986565&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0166666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-225x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-768x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-scaled.jpeg?w=188&#038;h=251&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-scaled.jpeg 1920w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-225x300.jpeg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-768x1024.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2036-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" width=\"188\" height=\"251\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"188\" data-original-height=\"251\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Jaylyn Long &#039;24 (left), who created the ASPIRE Week tradition during her time at Mary Washington, passed the torch to Amira Said &#039;26. Both women served as SGA president during their senior year.\" style=\"width: 188px; height: 251px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Jaylyn Long &#8217;24 (left), who created the ASPIRE Week tradition during her time at Mary Washington, passed the torch to Amira Said &#8217;26. Both women served as SGA president during their senior year. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 339px; height: 255px;\" data-original-width=\"339\" data-original-height=\"255\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/img_7233\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"335\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"251\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109163\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone XR&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1713608979&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.25&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;25&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00485436893204&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-300x225.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-1024x768.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-scaled.jpeg?w=335&#038;h=251&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-scaled.jpeg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-300x225.jpeg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-768x576.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_7233-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" width=\"335\" height=\"251\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"335\" data-original-height=\"251\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"When Amira Said (second from right) noticed leftover food tossed away at the Cedric Rucker University Center, she embarked on a mission to do something about it. Here, she stands near one of the compost bins she brought to campus to turn wasted meals into nourishment for UMW grounds.\" style=\"width: 335px; height: 251px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> When Amira Said (second from right) noticed leftover food tossed away at the Cedric Rucker University Center, she embarked on a mission to do something about it. Here, she stands near one of the compost bins she brought to campus to turn wasted meals into nourishment for UMW grounds. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 192px; height: 255px;\" data-original-width=\"192\" data-original-height=\"255\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/img_1953\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"188\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"251\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109160\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.78&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 15 Pro&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1744636010&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6.76499986565&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;80&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000352982703848&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-225x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-768x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-scaled.jpeg?w=188&#038;h=251&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-scaled.jpeg 1920w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-225x300.jpeg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-768x1024.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_1953-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" width=\"188\" height=\"251\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"188\" data-original-height=\"251\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Amira Said (second from left) poses with one of her Mary Washington mentors, Associate Provost for Community Relations and Compliance Shavonne Shorter (far left), and friends on Ball Circle.\" style=\"width: 188px; height: 251px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Amira Said (second from left) poses with one of her Mary Washington mentors, Associate Provost for Community Relations and Compliance Shavonne Shorter (far left), and friends on Ball Circle. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 377px; height: 255px;\" data-original-width=\"377\" data-original-height=\"255\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/image-9-17-25-at-6-54-pm\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"373\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"251\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109159\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2510,1690\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM-300x202.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM-1024x689.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM.jpeg?w=373&#038;h=251&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM.jpeg 2510w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM-300x202.jpeg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM-1024x689.jpeg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM-768x517.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM-1536x1034.jpeg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/Image-9-17-25-at-6.54-PM-2048x1379.jpeg 2048w\" width=\"373\" height=\"251\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"373\" data-original-height=\"251\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Senior environmental sciences major Amira Said pitched one of the nine projects that earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant this spring. With the funding she received, she plans to implement an experiential learning program to teach UMW students about the importance of composting while preventing hundreds of pounds of food waste from going to landfills each week. Photo by Karen Pearlman.\" style=\"width: 373px; height: 251px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Senior environmental sciences major Amira Said pitched one of the nine projects that earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant this spring. With the funding she received, she plans to implement an experiential learning program to teach UMW students about the importance of composting while preventing hundreds of pounds of food waste from going to landfills each week. Photo by Karen Pearlman. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>She met with UMW Dining and the Office of Sustainability to discuss the future of composting at Mary Washington, and she started a weekly composting program with COAR (Community Outreach and Resources). Then she presented it all \u2013 from revelation to results \u2013 at the 2024 Virginia Student Climate Action Summit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m passionate about everything I do, especially sustainability,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have a beautiful Earth. Why would you ever want to deplete it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A member of the President\u2019s Council on Sustainability and the Presidential Emerging Leaders Program, she\u2019s also a RISE peer mentor, Student Enrichment Program counselor and COAR volunteer. She received the Sylvia McJilton Woodcock &#8217;61 Scholarship and was twice named by student affairs officials a representative for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) Student Advisory Committee, presenting on the importance of programs and policies for increasing student engagement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular tiled-gallery-unresized\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:7,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.umw.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/13\\\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\\\/&quot;,&quot;likes_blog_id&quot;:230672515}' itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageGallery\" > <div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 1100px; height: 261px;\" data-original-width=\"1100\" data-original-height=\"261\" > <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 390px; height: 261px;\" data-original-width=\"390\" data-original-height=\"261\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/university-of-mary-washington-2025-fall-branded-shootoctober-8-9-2025-3\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"386\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"257\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109157\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"8192,5464\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Parker Michels-Boyce&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R5&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;University of Mary Washington \\r2025 Fall Branded Shoot\\rOctober 8-9, 2025&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1759944580&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Parker Michels-Boyce Photography&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;68&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;University of Mary Washington \\r2025 Fall Branded Shoot\\rOctober 8-9, 2025&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918.jpg?w=386&#038;h=257&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918.jpg 8192w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918-300x200.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918-1024x683.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918-768x512.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/251008_umw_fall_branded-0918-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" width=\"386\" height=\"257\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"386\" data-original-height=\"257\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"UMW senior Amira Said serves as Student Government Association president. She shared her passion for conservation by appearing, along with fellow Mary Washington student Adam McAninley \u201927, on the premiere edition of the &#039;What Matters Most With President Paino&#039; podcast.\" style=\"width: 386px; height: 257px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> UMW senior Amira Said serves as Student Government Association president. She shared her passion for conservation by appearing, along with fellow Mary Washington student Adam McAninley \u201927, on the premiere edition of the &#8216;What Matters Most With President Paino&#8217; podcast. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 123px; height: 261px;\" data-original-width=\"123\" data-original-height=\"261\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/img_2238-2\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"119\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"257\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109162\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238.png\" data-orig-size=\"1179,2556\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238-138x300.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238-472x1024.png\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238.png?w=119&#038;h=257&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238.png 1179w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238-472x1024.png 472w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238-768x1665.png 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238-709x1536.png 709w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_2238-945x2048.png 945w\" width=\"119\" height=\"257\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"119\" data-original-height=\"257\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Amira Said serves champagne during Grad Ball at UMW&#039;s Anderson Center. An environmental sciences major, Said took her time finding a major that fit her passions and plans for the future.\" style=\"width: 119px; height: 257px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Amira Said serves champagne during Grad Ball at UMW&#8217;s Anderson Center. An environmental sciences major, Said took her time finding a major that fit her passions and plans for the future. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 390px; height: 261px;\" data-original-width=\"390\" data-original-height=\"261\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/img_9184\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"386\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"257\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109164\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-300x200.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-1024x683.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-scaled.jpeg?w=386&#038;h=257&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-scaled.jpeg 2560w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-300x200.jpeg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-768x512.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/IMG_9184-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w\" width=\"386\" height=\"257\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"386\" data-original-height=\"257\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Amira Said pets a ferret during an on-campus event. The senior Student Government Association president is also a member of the President\u2019s Council on Sustainability and the Presidential Emerging Leaders Program, a RISE peer mentor, Student Enrichment Program counselor and COAR volunteer.\" style=\"width: 386px; height: 257px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Amira Said pets a ferret during an on-campus event. The senior Student Government Association president is also a member of the President\u2019s Council on Sustainability and the Presidential Emerging Leaders Program, a RISE peer mentor, Student Enrichment Program counselor and COAR volunteer. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 197px; height: 261px;\" data-original-width=\"197\" data-original-height=\"261\" > <div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-small\" itemprop=\"associatedMedia\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/fullsizerender-3\/\" border=\"0\" itemprop=\"url\"> <meta itemprop=\"width\" content=\"193\"> <meta itemprop=\"height\" content=\"257\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"109158\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-scaled.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 14 Plus&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1746869057&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.7&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000881057268722&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-225x300.jpeg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-768x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-scaled.jpeg?w=193&#038;h=257&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-scaled.jpeg 1920w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-225x300.jpeg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-768x1024.jpeg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/FullSizeRender-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" width=\"193\" height=\"257\" loading=\"lazy\" data-original-width=\"193\" data-original-height=\"257\" itemprop=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/image\" title=\"\" alt=\"Senior Amira Said - a student leader who used her passion for sustainability to bring improvements to the UMW campus - participates in a Commencement exercise.\" style=\"width: 193px; height: 257px;\" \/> <\/a> <div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\" itemprop=\"caption description\"> Senior Amira Said &#8211; a student leader who used her passion for sustainability to bring improvements to the UMW campus &#8211; participates in a Commencement exercise. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <!-- close group --> <\/div> <!-- close row --> <\/div>\n<p>And Said shared her passion for conservation by appearing, along with fellow Mary Washington student Adam McAninley \u201927, on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/president\/podcast\/\">premiere edition of a new UMW podcast, <\/a><em>What Matters Most With President Paino.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>All this while serving as SGA president and planning the detailed events that comprise <a href=\"https:\/\/at.umw.edu\/event\/aspire-week-5436\">ASPIRE Week, set to take place April 13-18<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s really blossomed under her leadership,\u201d said Associate Provost for Community Relations and Compliance Shavonne Shorter, who pointed to increased campus partnerships and the addition of nighttime activities. \u201cWe would not be where we are without her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With internships at the Fredericksburg Clean and Green Commission and the Fund for the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., under her belt, Said plans to pursue a master\u2019s degree in environmental policy and become a consultant.<\/p>\n<p>So much for being shy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI look at myself back when I just came in as a freshman, and I\u2019m like, \u2018wow,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019d ever have imagined this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019d asked University of Mary Washington senior Amira Said to describe herself when she first came to campus, she might have used the word \u201cshy.\u201d Now Student Government Association (SGA) president and Class Council treasurer, she\u2019s anything but, especially when it comes to planning one of UMW\u2019s signature events \u2013 ASPIRE Week. An acronym [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":109177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[15522,15521,15228],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-109154","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-amira-said","9":"tag-aspire-week","10":"tag-sshorter","11":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>UMW Student Government Association President Plants Seeds of Leadership - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UMW Student Government Association President Plants Seeds of Leadership\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019d asked University of Mary Washington senior Amira Said to describe herself when she first came to campus, she might have used the word \u201cshy.\u201d Now Student Government Association (SGA) president and Class Council treasurer, she\u2019s anything but, especially when it comes to planning one of UMW\u2019s signature events \u2013 ASPIRE Week. An acronym [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-13T13:14:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-18T14:44:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/NewRelease_AmiraSaid.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lisa Chinn Marvashti\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UMaryWash\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lisa Chinn Marvashti\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lisa Chinn Marvashti\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/eab3b9dd084c2488474792f0c391b8e7\"},\"headline\":\"UMW Student Government Association President Plants Seeds of Leadership\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-13T13:14:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-18T14:44:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/\"},\"wordCount\":798,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/03\/NewRelease_AmiraSaid.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Amira Said\",\"ASPIRE Week\",\"sshorter\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/13\/umw-student-government-association-president-plants-seeds-of-leadership\/\",\"name\":\"UMW Student Government Association President Plants Seeds of Leadership - 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