SGA Election Results: A chance to meet the new representatives for the class of 2026

By: Lenora Kirkland

This month Eastern’s SGA welcomes a new freshman administration following the recent mid-September elections. For those of you who haven’t yet had the opportunity to get to know your representatives, this is a great chance to hear from them about their plans and ambitions for the Eastern community during this upcoming school year. 

Kevin Chalchi-Popaca is the president of this year’s freshman class. From West Berlin, New Jersey, Chalchi-Popaca is currently majoring in Business Administration. As president Chalchi-Popaca is aiming “to make the freshmen class a family and have everyone know each other and make this class the tightest class at Eastern University.” Another goal he hopes to achieve this year “is to try and accomplish as many changes as I can that the freshmen student body brings up to me.” He also comically notes “the new addition of the football players in the freshmen class” and the “extra 96 pairs of hands” to get work done. 

This year’s vice president, Brooklyn Hmel, has joined the Eastern community from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, and is currently majoring in Exercise Science. As vice president, she hopes to foster a greater sense of community within the freshman class and looks “to produce social gatherings that are both accessible and appealing to all students.” She also adds her desire “to have a positive impact on Eastern’s community, making sure everyone has a successful and fun year.”

This year’s secretary Jeriyah Johnson is currently a Biology major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania on the pre-vet track. Johnson hopes to “promote leadership and to be very hardworking” throughout her term and “make student life much easier for the Eastern community by having fun and a great time!” Her organizational skills and desire “to never give up” are just two of the qualities she hopes to channel into her newly acquired role in Eastern’s SGA. 

Another Business Administration major, this time from Salisbury, Maryland, Sarah Westmoreland brings a variety of different skills to the table as class treasurer. Among her current goals for this year is her plan “to work with the other treasurers on spreadsheets to know where funds are going and create a better environment in some key areas on campus like the picnic benches, and Breezeway.” Sarah also hopes to give students a break from the hectic aspects of finance by helping “assist in setting up systems that provide clarity and allow clear communication about our finances.”

Overall, we wish the best of luck to these new members of student government and look forward to seeing the impact they have on the class of 2026! 

If you have any further questions for any of your representatives, you can contact each of them at these email addresses respectively: 

kevin.chalchipopoca@eastern.edu (President)

brooklyn.hmel@eastern.edu (Vice-President)

jeriyah.johnson@eastern.edu (Secretary)

sarah.westmoreland@eastern.edu (Treasurer)