Our student leadership organization began with just four passionate members who shared a vision: to bring the campus community closer, make student life more enjoyable, and provide opportunities for personal and professional growth. From the outset, our mission has been to foster an inclusive environment where students can expand their social circles, develop essential soft skills like time management and teamwork, and become well-rounded individuals ready to face future challenges.
Students who are interested in joining SLC should fill out a UGA Griffin Student Leadership Council (SLC) Application. Use the link below to apply. For more information, contact us at sacgrif@uga.edu.
Our Events
One of our flagship events, the Taste of Nations, is held every spring semester and has become so popular that it has even garnered coverage by local news outlets. This vibrant celebration showcases the diverse cultures represented on our campus and offers students a unique opportunity to connect through food, music, and tradition. In addition to Taste of Nations, we kick off each academic year with a week full of events designed to welcome new and returning students, setting the tone for a year filled with excitement and growth. Last year, we also hosted leadership talks featuring speakers from the Chick-fil-A corporate office, further emphasizing our commitment to nurturing leadership skills. Our regular meetings provide a platform for members to refine their public speaking abilities and gain insights into effective leadership.
Member Expectations
Being a part of our organization comes with a few important responsibilities. We expect our members to be punctual, attend all meetings, volunteer for events, and contribute as strong team players. We also encourage openness to constructive criticism as it is vital for personal growth and the success of our group. While our events are often grand and memorable, the hard work behind the scenes is equally significant. Setting up and cleaning up after these events requires dedication and teamwork, and though these tasks may not always be glamorous, they are crucial to our continued success.
Fall 2024 UGA Griffin Student Leadership Council
- Umar Munir – President – Ph.D. Crop & Soil Sciences – Pakistan
- Ion Marshall – Vice President – B.S. Biological Sciences – United States
- HwaEun Lee – Media Liaison – Ph.D. Food Science & Technology – South Korea
- Chiara Ammaturo – M.S. Crop & Soil Sciences – Italy
- Javier Cruz – Ph.D. Food Science & Technology – Guatemala
- Xueyan Hu – Ph.D. Food Science and Technology – China
- Daniel Ibiyemi – Ph.D. Entomology – Nigeria
- Caitlin McCann – M.S. Horticulture – United States
- Jake McGwin – M.S. Food Science & Technology – United States
- Racheal Omoboyejo – M.S. Crop & Soil Sciences – Nigeria
- Kriti Poudel – M.S. Crop & Soil Sciences – Nepal
- James Robinson – B.B.A. General Business, B.S. Agribusiness, and B.S.F.C.S. Consumer Economics with a concentration in Financial Planning – United States
- Kumar Vaibhav – M.S. Crop & Soil Sciences – India
- Rajesh Vavilapalli – Ph.D. Entomology – India
- Mayra Villar-Buzo – M.S. Food Science & Technology- Mexico
Member Testimonials
SLC has taught me to be a better leader and has helped me improve my time management and communication skills. My favorite SLC moments have been helping to run Taste of Nations 3&4 because it resulted in students, faculty, staff, and guests to learn about the varied cultures of students on our campus and learning about the management of franchises and history of Chick-Fil-A during our leadership conference at their headquarters.
– James Robinson
For me SLC has been part of my “family away from home”. I enjoy building relationships and connections with people from all over the world, sharing our differences which are the strength of our small but wonderful community. One of the best moments lived with SLC was the Taste of Nations, where I had the chance to experience many unique shades of one of my favorite hobbies: FOOD. What a blast was to get to know all the gastronomic cultures of my friends! That’s definitely something I will tell to my grandkids!
– Chiara Ammaturo
For me, SLC has been a symbol of the coming together of people of different backgrounds to get things done as a group where people are happy to help. My happy moments have been seeing Misty and Lee being such an integral part and leading stuff by doing it themselves. I just feel their attitude to be the heart of the SLC body and other teammates reliably push me to contribute to the things happening in and around the campus !!!
– Kumar Vaibhav