George Mason’s Student Body President and Vice President are strengthening campus community

When Student Body President Maria Alejandra Romero Cuesta and Vice President Colin McAulay were looking at universities, George Mason University’s proximity to Washington, D.C., and Schar School of Policy and Government’s strong reputation made it a top choice for them both.

And for both of them, joining Student Government just made sense: Cuesta, an international student, plans for nonprofit work in support of her home country of Colombia, and McAulay dreams of a future in diplomacy.

Now, the two of them are leading with a vision of an empowered and interconnected campus community. 

Cuesta, a double major in Government and International Politics and economics and in the Honors College, was inspired by her peers to run for president. “As an active member of the Hispanic Leadership Alliance, Honors College Connects, and the First-Gen+ Center, I got to know what was happening on campus, what students needed, and that understanding inspired me to pursue a pathway of helping other students,” she said. Her connections also gave her a wide platform from which she could launch her political career. 

For McAulay, a senior international security and law major, three years in Student Government gave him a strong understanding of the university, its structure, and how to best organize people to accomplish a shared vision. When election season came around, Cuesta and McAulay thought their combination of connections and institutional knowledge made a winning ticket. 

Cuesta and McAulay worked hard over the summer to start constructing the groundwork for their term. One word stands at the core of their vision: community. 

“We want to build bridges between the diverse organizations at George Mason,” Cuesta said. “We want to set that foundation, not only to create community but to then sustain community so it continues for generations to come.”

Cuesta wants to see a campus where groups are less siloed. “We have so many student groups for a wide range of identities, and we see a trend of students just sticking with their groups. And while we want students to have those spaces, we also want the groups to connect with each other more, to work together to achieve their shared goals and to continue to develop an interconnected and supportive campus community.”

“When I first came to George Mason,” McAulay added, “it was right out of COVID-19, and the community wasn’t able to thrive. But with each year, we’re restoring that sense of community, and it’s important to keep it growing for each new class that comes in."

President Cuesta and Vice President McAulay hit the ground running, starting the semester off with events to bring the campus community together such as tailgating a recent women’s soccer game. Both hope that their lasting mark on the university will be one of community. 

“There are many resources here, so many opportunities to socialize, make friends, network, find your community, and build your career,” Cuesta said. “I hope George Mason continues to be a place where students can be authentically themselves and feel like they belong.”