I could tell you a great deal about who Makaira Skeete is. I could say she’s an incredibly talented nail artist who is doing my nails soon (and I cannot wait for my French tips, believe me). It would be easy for you to find out she’s a full-time Tallahassee Community College (TCC) student who is currently serving as the Student Government Secretary and working as a Supervisor at CVS Pharmacy. She’s also my best friend and I adore her. But this isn’t her reference letter or resume. Just what does a Student Government Secretary do?
Her Campus (HC): What is your current position in student government?
Makaira Skeete (MS): My current position in Tallahassee Community College’s student government is secretary.
HC: What led you to become interested in running for TCC’s SGA Secretary?
MS: I became interested in running for TCC’s SGA secretary because it felt like a great leadership opportunity, a chance to network, meet and create new relationships with those who have similar goals as myself and most importantly to help TCC students.
HC: Can you describe your duties and responsibilities as TCC’s SGA Secretary?
MS: As a secretary, my duties and responsibilities are to make the meeting agenda, take meeting minutes, attend meetings and assist my E-Board members best as possible.
HC: What is a typical day like for you?
MS: A typical day for me is work and school. I usually have classes from 9-12 and then work from 3-10. Usually, when I finish work, I get started right away on my homework. Some days I have leadership events I attend and different meetings.
HC: Can you name something you are proud to have been a part of as SGA Secretary?
MS: As secretary, I have been able to participate in many events around campus. Something I am proud of is our successful SGA days; we have reached out to many students through these events and many students have been able to voice their concerns, assisting us in assisting them.
HC: What is a problem you have seen on TCC’s campus that you would like to fix?
MS: A problem I would like to fix is the lack of campus spirit. After the pandemic and being shut in for so long, it seems like students have lost the want for social experiences. I want to help bring back that sense of community to TCC by helping create spaces for students to feel welcomed.
HC: Do you have any ideas you could share for a future SGA initiative?
MS: An idea that I could share for a future SGA initiative is a winter event we want to plan this year. I can’t say for sure that this is going to happen, but we are excited to plan these different events this year.
HC: How can TCC work to make their student government more accessible to all and diverse?
MS: I think that TCC has done a pretty good job making the student government accessible. Here, we are a diverse group of many faces with different experiences, so we each can bring something different to the table. I do think that we could be easier to reach by email but that is a problem we are working on now.
HC: What is your personal mantra when your busy schedule gets tough to manage?
MS: My personal mantra when my schedule gets tough to manage is “Take a step back and breathe.” I know that sounds cliché, but it really does help. Sometimes it feels like I have so much happening at once that I get lost in it, but when I take a step back and understand that I have control over my situation and not the situation having control over me, it really helps.
HC: How would you describe your leadership style?
MS: I would like to say I am an open leader; I like to hear others’ ideas, and I understand that it’s not always about me and what I want. I know that my team has good ideas, and it’s okay to listen and follow their idea over my own sometimes.
HC: Is there anything else you would like to share?
MS: I would just like to share that it’s okay to try, I never imagined being the secretary but a good friend of mine pushed me to try, and that’s why I am in the position I am today. So if you feel like you can’t do something, just try it because you never know for sure what the outcome will be.
Makaira can be reached through email at makaira03@gmail.com.
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