During its 60th annual national summer convention Sept. 6-8 in New Orleans, La., the College Democrats of America (CDA) elected Florida Southern College alumna Mikaela Guido as its new president for 2019-2020. Guido graduated from FSC in May 2019 with a B.S. in Political Science and now attends the University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law.
Mikaela served as secretary of the Florida Southern College Democrats from Nov. 2016 until Sept. 2017, when she became the local chapter’s president. In April 2018, she was elected vice president of the statewide Florida College Democrats, based in Tallahassee, and served as national director of programs for the CDA from Aug. 2018 until her election as president.
Founded in 1932, the CDA is the official student arm of the Democratic Party, with more than 100,000 student members in 600+ campus chapters across the country. Both the president and vice president of the CDA serve as voting members of the Democratic National Committee.
Dr. R. Bruce Anderson, associate professor of political science, pre-law adviser, and adviser for FSC College Democrats, praised Guido as an integral part of the department, the College, and as “one of a long line of strong leaders of the chapter” at Florida Southern. “She’s ‘made the wheels turn’ in so many ways.”
According to Mark Haver, current president of the Florida Southern College Democrats, Guido’s rise to the national stage “really tells all of our students, regardless of party affiliation, that FSC students are a force to be reckoned with. The hard work we do on campus is meaningful, and we can achieve whatever we set our minds to. Mikaela is a trailblazer among all Florida Southern students.”
As vice president of the FSC Democrats, Guido was involved in organizing diversity initiatives and cultural sensitivity training within the group, and she coordinated weekly programming such as bipartisan discussions and debates, voter registration drives and service projects. As president of the national CDA, Guido will preside over meetings of the national organization’s 10-member Executive Board.
“I am incredibly excited to start this journey as president of College Democrats of America,” Guido said. “Florida Southern College, and specifically the Political Science Department – with its emphasis on bipartisanship, presentation skills, and overall community – were essential in shaping my view of politics and the world. Without a consistent undergraduate environment that fostered inclusion, motivation, and the importance of personal connection and communication, I would not have had the confidence and drive to get where I am today.”
About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in Florida. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio; is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning; and boasts 30 NCAA Division II national championships. It is ranked among the top 10 Regional Universities in the South by U.S. News and World Report; and is included in The Princeton Review’s 385 Best Colleges, The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2018, and Forbes magazine’s America’s Top Colleges Guide. The College is committed to the development of the whole student through vibrant student life programs that prepare graduates to make a positive, consequential impact on society. FSC is conveniently located within an hour’s drive of both Orlando and Tampa. FSC is home to the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012. Named the “Most Beautiful Campus in the Nation” for two consecutive years by The Princeton Review and one of the nation’s “Ten College Campuses with the Best Architecture” by Architectural Digest, Florida Southern is an internationally-recognized place of beauty and academic excellence.