SGA to host Women in Politics forum
Palm Beach County female leaders in politics will participate in a panel discussion at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens March 27.
The Women’s History Month event features State Rep. Lori Berman, Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Maria Marino and Michelle Oyola McGovern, director of outreach for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Rubenstein Pavilion. It is free and open to PBSC students, faculty and staff.
During the TED-style talk, hosted by the Student Government Association, the speakers will discuss what it is like being a woman in politics today, including some of challenges of working in a male-dominated field. For example, according to the Center for Women in Politics, which is part of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, women today hold 105 or 19.6 percent of the 535 seats in the 1144th Congress and 22 of the 100 Seats in the Senate. About 25 percent of the 7,383 state legislators in the United States are women.
“We wanted a perspective from all angles. A lot of times students don’t pay attention to local government, and that usually affects them the most,’’ said Amy Abugawod, Palm Beach Gardens campus SGA president. “The goal of Student Government has always been school spirit, but also getting students involved and making sure they know what’s going on. It increases civic engagement and awareness, and that’s always been our core mission. There are a lot of hot issues right now with women in politics.”
