Name: Raymond Partolan
Majors: Political Science and Spanish
Minor: Criminal Justice
Organizations Involved: Student Government Association, Peer Advisor, Intercollegiate Mock Trial Team, Mercer Maniacs, Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity
Who is your role model? Martin Luther King, Jr—His devotion to justice and equality for all inspires me to do the work that I do to help make education accessible to a larger number of people.
As SGA President, what changes would you like to make to Mercer? Wow! This is a tough question because there are so many things on SGA’s agenda! First and foremost, a personal goal of mine has been to ensure that SGA is as accessible as possible to the student body. I want to make sure that every student knows that SGA is a resource for solving campus issues. This school year has been and will continue to be an opportune time for us to create new traditions on campus with the return of football and the continuing dominance of Mercer basketball. Because of this, we’re spearheading efforts to get more students out to athletic events on campus and to encourage partnerships and co-sponsorships between student organizations to create a sense of inter-organizational unity. Being a Mercerian is what we all have in common. Fostering that shared characteristic is something that I’d like to instill in others!
What do you love about MU? Oh, my list could go on and on. What I love most about Mercer is the Mercer spirit that I believe truly exists. It’s the spirit that makes me feel a sense of pride every time I hear our fight song at a basketball game or sing our alma mater at official functions. It’s the spirit that makes me want to do more and more to represent the interests of my peers. It’s the spirit that makes me feel a special sense of belonging to the institution that’s given me so much.
When you think of Food, what comes to mind? Another hard question. Good ol’ southern cooking. Fried chicken with some hot sauce. Collard greens. Fried green tomatoes. The works. Sounds healthy, I know.
What is one piece of advice that you could share with future Mercerians? Take advantage of every single opportunity that’s available to you. Most importantly, make friends with your professors. You’ll figure out eventually that they are very interesting people and would love to have a conversation with you about anything and everything.
Future Goals: After graduating from Mercer, I’d like to go to law school. Ideally, a scholarship would cover my law school expenses which would allow for me to graduate without worrying too much about the money that I’ll earn following it. I’d like to practice immigration law for some years representing clients who have gone through similar struggles that I have. Eventually, I’d like to return to academia to teach undergraduate political science or law school courses.