With executive elections approaching at Florida Atlantic University, students are being asked to choose not just candidates, but competing visions for what Student Government (SG) should be. And in the Boca Raton Governor race, that choice feels especially clear.

May Diamond Rojas of the Sunshine Party is running as the kind of candidate SG has needed for a long time: reform-focused and student-first.

Rojas is running against the current Boca Raton House Secretary, Enrique “Rico” Toro-Mendez, who heads the Paradise Party ticket, and the current SG Chief Financial Officer, Dylan Salisbury, who heads the Atlantic Party ticket.

Rojas is a current Boca House of Representatives member and former Secretary, and in debates and follow-up interviews, she has consistently centered affordability, transparency, and inclusion — not as buzzwords, but as priorities tied to everyday student survival.

That’s why we’re voting May Rojas for Boca Raton Governor, and as members of SG, why we think you should too.

“I don’t feel like I get my $200 in value from Student Government,” said Rojas during an interview with OutFAU. “I know what it’s like to pay thousands for housing and live paycheck to paycheck.”

Rojas was referring to the student activity and service fee that students pay each term, $12.32 per credit hour. Put another way, that’s upwards of $221.76 if you’re taking six three-credit classes, before you even factor in other expenses.

Her message lands because it doesn’t pretend students are choosing between abstract platforms. Most students balance rent, groceries, tuition, and unpredictable expenses that can derail an entire semester.

Rojas’ campaign is centered on redirecting portions of the roughly $11 million SG budget toward direct student relief. Her proposals include housing subsidies or reimbursements, expanded free meal vouchers for students who cannot afford meal plans, and broader access to free printing credits. These aren’t flashy promises. They are quality-of-life proposals aimed at the pressure points students talk about constantly: the cost of living, food insecurity, and basic academic access.

During the Feb. 10 Boca Raton gubernatorial debate, Rojas leaned heavily on accessibility and equity. She framed her agenda around basic needs and everyday financial stress, arguing that SG resources should provide tangible returns for students who pay into the system. That framing is the point. SG is not a club; it’s an institution funded by students, and it should be judged on what it delivers back to students — especially those who are stretched thin.

Another clear difference emerged around election reform and campaign finance. Rojas openly criticized the growing role of outside funding in SG races, referencing thousands of dollars in external contributions during previous elections. She argued that rising campaign costs disadvantage grassroots candidates and risk distancing SG from the average student.

That critique matters, even if it makes people uncomfortable. When campaigns become expensive, representation shrinks. It becomes harder for students without networks, money, or institutional backing to run, win, and govern. Rojas has framed reform not as drama, but as a fairness and trust issue.

Rojas also spoke directly about a problem SG has not solved: student disengagement. She pointed out that fewer than 10% of Boca Raton students voted in prior executive elections and argued that representation begins with awareness and outreach. She described efforts to visit classrooms and promote participation — because leadership does not start at the top. It starts with who feels invited into the process at all.

That instinct, toward grassroots connection and real student contact, is one of her strengths. Rojas’s appeal is not just her platform. It is her accessibility, relatability, and willingness to critique SG from within. She has the policy focus to push structural changes, but she also recognizes that none of it matters if students feel disconnected from the institution supposedly representing them.

And yes, identity matters too.

Rojas is openly LGBTQ+, and her candidacy carries significance for students who have rarely seen visibly queer leadership in SG. Representation is not just symbolic. LGBTQ+ students navigate unique campus experiences related to safety, visibility, and inclusion. Having leadership that understands those experiences firsthand can shape what issues become urgent, what concerns are taken seriously, and how advocacy is carried out when students need it most.

Rojas has not centered her campaign exclusively on identity. But her presence broadens the scope of who is seen as eligible for executive leadership. That matters — especially at a time when LGBTQ+ students across the state are being asked, directly and indirectly, to accept less space, less protection, and less visibility. OutFAU itself formed after SG-funded The Center for IDEAs closed during the 2023-2024 school year. On our campus, leadership should signal the opposite: that queer students belong in the room where decisions are made.

If her “Goth Governor” tagline makes you smile, good. Let it. SG can be serious without being sterile. But don’t mistake the aesthetic for the substance. Rojas is running on substance: affordability, direct relief, election reform, accessibility, and trust.

The decision facing students in the Boca Raton Governor race is ultimately about emphasis. Should SG focus on refining existing systems and strengthening administrative partnerships? Or should it prioritize direct financial relief, election reform, and structural accessibility?

SG should be using its power and budget to reduce student stress in measurable ways. It should be willing to confront the systems that keep everyday students on the outside looking in. And it should look like the student body it claims to represent.

That is why we’re recommending students vote for May Diamond Rojas for Boca Raton Governor — the queer, goth Governor candidate with a student-first platform and the backbone to push reform.

Election days are Tuesday, Feb. 24, and Wednesday, Feb. 25. Students can vote by logging in to Owl Central and clicking the pop-up that says “Vote.” Be sure to submit your ballot and confirm your vote before exiting.

As a courtesy to the candidate, we are including the following accommodation notice:

If accommodation(s) for a disability is required contact May Diamond Rojas/785-770-5964/TTY 1-800-955-8770, please make notification when possible within five (5) working days in advance of the date of the event.

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