It’s not surprising that a college with a gender ratio as skewed as Stevens has occasional difficulty putting women in leadership positions. It is especially difficult when men comprise 71% of the undergraduate electorate. However, Samantha Molla, a sophomore Mechanical Engineering major, broke the pattern of male leaders and, earlier this month, was sworn in as President of the Student Government Association.
Molla, an articulate woman with a strong sense of self, knows that gender does not define her capabilities as president. But she still believes that her gender is relevant to her being president, explaining in an interview that thus far she has received comments along the lines of, “Finally, we have a female president for once!” However, she stressed that she did not decide to run for the presidency on the basis of her gender. Rather, she ran as a consequence of her passion for effecting change in the student community and her own confidence in her abilities to do so.
At the same time, when asked about any insight she may be able to bring to the table as a woman, she did not hesitate to elaborate on one of the plans she and Adrian Castellanos, who is the new Vice President of the Student Government Association, had included in their campaign: working with Lore-El to create a summer program for women. Molla has not separated her role as a president and her role as a female president. Being a woman, Molla believes, allows her to take initiatives to address issues she deems important because of her collective experiences that have made her more acutely aware of some difficulties women might face in their lives. Her goals of being an accessible president with a capacity to lend an ear where it may be needed and working toward the general betterment of the student population align with the needs of SGA and Stevens regardless of her gender.
When questioned about the possibility of persistent sexism in her presidential term, Sam explained that to date she has not had to face as much sexist sentiment as she might have expected. She speculates that sexism will be inevitable, particularly as her responsibilities grow, but she is determined to remain true to herself and her abilities and welcomes any challenges that come her way. This optimism stems from both her belief that she belongs on the same playing field as any other candidate, despite being the only woman among the slates of candidates this past election, and her realistic expectations of whom she would be competing with based on the demographic percentages of Stevens.
Molla admitted that the even split of men and women in the SGA Cabinet had, to some extent, been chosen consciously, but more so for diversity of thought arising from a difference in experiences than to fill a so-called quota.
It isn’t lost on Molla that her presidency comes shortly after the hype of Hillary Clinton, who lost the U.S. presidential election in 2016 and was the first female candidate for a major political party. When Clinton was running for president, the photoblog Humans of New York interviewed her and asked about how her experience in the election might be different from that of a man’s. Clinton described a scenario in which a man might express his passion for a topic by slamming his hand on the podium and be applauded for his commitment to the issue. If she were to do the same, she would be criticized for being too angry, she said. Moreover, in general, women are criticized for gestures that men might be able to get away with. A woman who talks “too authoritatively” may be perceived as “bossy,” but a man will be commended for taking control of the situation.
When asked if she had noticed any differences in how she had to approach some topics as a woman, Molla said that, in general, she tries not to act aggressively, as it’s in her personality to be more reserved. She also expanded by saying that at the end of the day, she wants to stay true to herself.
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