Una Student Government Names First International President

Apr. 15, 2011

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@casabo.net, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - Ralph Akalonu, from Lagos, Nigeria, 2007年刚到美国时，他从未想过有一天他会以K8彩乐园学生会主席的身份领导学生. After more than four years of working his way up the SGA ladder as a senator, Senate pro-tempore and vice president of Senate, Akalonu is the first international student to be elected as SGA president for the 2011-12 year. A well-known presence on campus, Akalonu也是2007年非洲学生组织的创始主席，并在UNA期间一直是黑人学生联盟的积极成员. Akalonu, a senior-level biology and history double major, stumbled upon UNA by accident when researching potential universities to attend in the U.S. After being accepted by UNA for the spring 2007 term, Akalonu became immersed in campus life and into student government, which he said both American and international students have the opportunity to do at UNA. "UNA is not too big or too small, and students can do anything they want to do and be anyone they want to be here," he said. "Anybody can become somebody. The people I will represent are not just the American students, but also the international students. I hope that as an international student myself, I can stress to them that they can get involved and make their mark on the university." 这位23岁的学生计划于2012年从UNA毕业，然后进入研究生院学习生物医学科学, where he can work closely with doctors, teach at a university, conduct research or take part in biomedical engineering. 随着大学在接下来的几年里做出具有里程碑意义的决定和改变，新的总体规划和即将到来的一级体育决定, Akalonu很高兴能在这所大学具有里程碑意义的时刻担任SGA主席. 他明年的首要目标是重新唤起学生们的行动主义意识，并让SGA成为帮助学生在校园里找到自己声音的一个因素. 阿卡洛努还希望通过实施一项新的营销计划来提高SGA在校园里的知名度，以接触学生，了解他们所关心的问题, instead of waiting to be contacted by the students. He wants to create a more unified SGA next year that includes all branches of SGA, including University Program Council. "I am excited about next year, as the university is at a critical point where there is a lot going on," he said. "I'm willing to do anything possible to make sure the interests of the student body are represented. 我还想与佛罗伦萨市合作，确保我们有一个有利于学生的环境." For more information, contact the Office of Student Engagement at 256-765-4248.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering credential, certificate, baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs in the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. The first-choice University for more than 10,000 on-campus and online students, UNA is on a bucolic campus in Florence, Alabama, part of the historic and vibrant Shoals region. Lions Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I’s ASUN Conference. K8彩乐园是一所机会均等的大学，在录取政策上不存在种族歧视, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: 7ag.casabo.net and 7ag.casabo.net/unaworks/