Emily Castillo-Melean ’28 always carries a notebook with her, not for taking notes in class but for constantly jotting down ideas on more ways to help students connect at Syracuse University.

That habit of listening and acting is at the heart of three principles behind the work of Castillo-Melean and Max Lachut ’28: connection, clarity and commitment to the student body.

The campaign helped them capture their current roles as president and executive vice president of the Student Government Association of Syracuse University and SUNY ESF (SGA), and they’re excited to kick off their term.

“We’re promising to make progress for students, to make sure they know we’re active on campus and here to help,” says Castillo-Melean, pursuing a double major in policy studies and citizenship and civic engagement in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S).

Castillo-Melean, Lachut and the rest of the executive team have been hard at work devising initiatives aimed at increasing SGA’s visibility on campus and the work that they do.

During the first week of classes, SGA hosted a Stop By and Say Hi tabling event outside the Schine Student Center, sharing information about the services available to students—like the popular weekly grocery trolley runs—and providing golf cart rides.

They are both proud of the No Problem Too Small initiative, where any student can scan a QR code to identify an issue, and an SGA committee works on fixing the problem.

Service Driven by Desire to Make a Difference

Since middle school, Lachut has actively sought ways to get involved and give back, while Castillo-Melean became inspired after meeting with past SGA president German Nolivos ’26 and executive vice president Janese Fayson ’26 during the Involvement Fair her freshman year.

“I knew a couple of the student leaders through the Posse Foundation scholarship program. German and Janese took me under their wing, and I fell in love with giving back and serving as that voice for our students,” Castillo-Melean says.

“I’ve been involved in student advocacy and student government for as long as I can remember,” says Lachut, pursuing a triple major in biochemistry, biotechnology and neuroscience in A&S. “I’ve always loved being involved in leadership and knew I had a lot of ideas that I could bring to help our students.”

Lachut says his time on campus fueled his development into a leader, crediting the University with “putting me in rooms where I hadn’t fully earned the right to be there and expected me to hold my own in those rooms. The best way to learn is through experience and Syracuse was able to provide that for me as a developing leader.”

Celebrating Orange Traditions and Campus Favorites

When the topic of favorite Orange traditions comes up, both Castillo-Melean and Lachut are quick to volunteer their preferred school spirit activities.

For Castillo-Melean, a native of Miami, Florida, the first snowfall of the season is a must-see, must-sled celebration.

“The first snowfall, when the students can’t wait to go sledding and everyone is sliding down Crouse Hill,” Castillo-Melean says. “It’s such a cool thing to watch and definitely one of my favorite traditions.”

Growing up in nearby Cicero, New York, Lachut and his family would often grab a slice of pepperoni pizza at Varsity en route to the JMA Wireless Dome to cheer on the Orange football and basketball teams. It’s no surprise that his favorite tradition involves athletics.

“I love seeing everybody come together and have fun getting excited for football games,” Lachut says. “I’m also excited that we’re forming a new campus traditions department in SGA to focus on starting new campus traditions that will still hopefully be going 50 years from now.”

When it comes to their favorite restaurants, Castillo-Melean prefers the sandwiches at Yella’s, located at food.com, while Lachut says Varsity “will always hold a special place in my heart.”