Hialeah Campus Gets A New President—For A Day

The energy was electric as members of the Hialeah Campus Student Government Association shuffled into Room 2101-04 on Feb. 5 for their biweekly senate board meeting. 

“I’m Nayely, the secretary of SGA.” 

“I’m Janourys, the treasure of SGA.”

“And I’m Jonathan, your vice president,” announced Hialeah Campus President Georgette Perez. 

The proclamation was met with a chorus of laughter. 

But Perez wasn’t auditioning to star in the reality television talent competition Last Comic Standing; she was swapping places with 21-year-old Jonathan Lalla for the day.

The assignment was part of Shark Switch, an initiative launched this spring by Jordan Chang, the director of student life at Hialeah Campus, that aims to enhance leadership skills and strengthen the connection between students and administrators.

Chang hopes Shark Switch will become an annual program that can expand to include switches with other administrators.

“The further you go up among the administrative side, the more removed you are from the actual student,” said Chang, who has worked in higher education for eleven years. “I looked at [Shark Switch] as an opportunity for the campus president to come in refreshed and see what’s going on in classrooms, in club meetings, but also to network with the students.”

During a five-hour period, Perez took on Lalla’s role as a computer science student who wears multiple hats, including Phi Theta Kappa president, SGA vice president, senior scholar in the Hialeah Scholars program and a student assistant in the IT department.  

And Lalla, an international student from Trindad and Tobago, tackled Perez’s responsibilities as campus president.

Duties began at 9 a.m. sharp.

Decked-out in a navy-blue suit, paisley tie, brown dress shoes, pink ‘I love MDC Hialeah’ socks and a beaming smile, Lalla—who considers himself “a little bit more serious” and “not as smiley” as Perez—eagerly greeted staff and students around campus.

“Our president, she’s very compassionate, understanding and happy all the time,” Lalla said. “I’m looking to see if I [can] fill her shoes, but also incorporate my leadership style, which may not be as jolly all the time.”

The “excitedly-nervous” Perez sported a blue ‘I love MDC Hialeah’ T-shirt, cuffed jeans, black sandals and a gray Baggallini backpack. She sat in the front row during a chemistry lecture for the first time in more than 30 years, diligently taking notes using a pen and a spiral notebook.

She was worried about grasping the material, but her main concern was taking someone’s seat.

“You know, people get territorial,” Perez remarked.

Back at the president’s office, Lalla prepared for a cabinet meeting and wrote a welcome message for a professional development workshop. 

He effortlessly switched gears, condensing a one-and-a-half page email and recording a robocall—a call that conveys a pre-recorded voice message— to notify students about upcoming tuition deadlines. 

While Lalla headed to meetings, Perez clocked in at the IT department, dealing with pending technical support requests. 

Perez’s day was robust, filled with meetings with SGA, Hialeah Scholars and Rodney Castillo, the co-advisor for PTK.

Lalla pressed onward with his presidential duties when—suddenly—the phone rang. 

On the phone was Adriana Alvarez, the director of the testing department at Hialeah Campus. She said students in the testing center couldn’t concentrate because there was a ruckus coming from the ping-pong table area in student life. 

Lalla couldn’t contain his laughter, but he promptly called Chang to settle the matter. 

Minutes later, Nicolet Conesa, the program manager for the continuing education department at Hialeah Campus, walked in to discuss a proposal to hold a summer camp for kids on campus.

“It’s always good to invest in our future,” Lalla said.

The day concluded with a Chick-fil-A lunch and a debriefing session.

Lalla said he got a deeper appreciation for the inner workings of campus administration.

“There’s a lot of work to be done, and you can’t do it by yourself,” Lalla said. “You need a team and a strong foundation of empathy, understanding [everyone] is under a lot of pressure.”

Perez’s experience was humbling. She nearly walked into the wrong class and stepped into a packed elevator during peak hours. The episodes reminded her why intentionally connecting with students is vital.

“We as a campus always try to put ourselves into the shoes of our students,” Perez said. “We may not always successfully do it and that’s why we need student input so much.”

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