Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) is a club open for everyone and a community that is welcoming to all. This year there are two new leaders being introduced: Felix Tran as president and Mavyn Colecchi as vice president. 

When it comes to their favorite parts of GSA Colecchi said, “The chaos that ensues.” Everyone in the club is like a family and they love being able to see everyone from different backgrounds being able to get along with one another. 

Tran added that his favorite part of GSA is seeing all the bonds that are made; being able to see people that can relate and talk to one another about sexuality or any problems that they might be facing. 

Being leaders of a club can be a difficult thing. In regards to challenges of running the club, Tran said, “Talking to a big crowd because I can lose what I want to talk about.” He tries to focus on the presentation while thinking about and keeping in mind what people are saying. 

For Colecchi, the hardest thing is how they try to take everything on. It can be difficult making sure the slides, forms, and snacks are all together while communicating with GSA club sponsor, Cortney Troy, to have everything done for LGBTQ+ history month taken care of on time. 

While there are many challenges, Colecchi and Tran have said their favorite part of being president and vice president is seeing everyone’s bonds and smiles. They are glad to see everyone being trusting and friendly with one another.

Colecchi and Tran said that they didn’t originally plan to become president and vice president until the previous president came to them. The previous GSA president approached them because they were good leaders and kept everyone engaged with what was happening. Tran  said, “I wanted to try something new.” After the previous president came to him, Tran thought being president of GSA would be a good way to achieve this.

For organizing what goes on in a meeting, Tran said he relies on Colecchi a lot and tries to help with whatever he can. Tran also goes to another GSA sponsor, Isabel Stone, for any plans and problems, but still relies the most on Colecchi. 

Colecchi said that a lot of organizing is done on Google Classroom, but they also follow what the previous president did with the presentations and forms. They also pay attention to the things that people want to learn. They plan for future club games, fundraising, and any future outreach work that can help the community. Colecchi also looks for what can further improve the club to make things work even smoother. 

When it comes to what GSA means to them, Colecchi said, “GSA’s a community. It’s literally gay straight alliance.” They see it as a community for both gay and straight people to come together to form a community. It’s for anyone to come together with any personal issues and to care for each other. Colecchi wants to build a community for everyone’s differences in the group and build connections with communities that are also outside the club. 

Tran believes the same as well. He wants to build a fun and safe community for everyone; for people to discover who they are and who they want to be with each other. “We want to be a safe place for LGBT members and allies,” Tran said. He wants for when people are going through tough times to know that they can call out to someone. 

Colecchi and Tran stated similar thoughts for what they want people to know about GSA. It is a fun club where people can interact with each other. The club is an overall safe space for everyone to talk to each other and learn about LGBTQ+ history. It gives people with either no support or no one that they can talk to people who they can communicate with. 

Tran and Colecchi want people to know that GSA is a safe place for everyone. Whether an ally or part of the LGBTQ+ community, students are welcome to join the club at any point. “Come join us, the door is always open,” Colecchi said.