Rotary Club Meeting – 9-26-23 The program at the Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday was presented by Rotarian Eric Gil. Mr. Gil introduced his son, Sam Gil. Sam is a student at McNeese University. He experienced both COVID and the hurricanes that devastated the Lake Charles area as a student. Sam jumped right in, and served as a Freshman Senator in the Student Government Association. He went on to be a Representative and then the Speaker of the House. Sam introduced a Student of the Year Program, helped with mental health legislation, increased parking, and took advantage of the University being open to suggestions. During that time, McNeese lost 1000 students, which represented a 15% decrease to the annual budget. Sam became President his Junior year. He had a really good year and expanded the SGA's reach. As a second term President, Sam ran for President of the Louisiana Council of Student Body Presidents. While he was unsuccessful in that attempt, he successfully ran for the Louisiana Board of Regents. He defeated the candidates from LSU and the Southern System. He was responsible for a $3.45 billion dollar budget and 32 institutions. He is working on digital payment methods for the school. He represents over 214,000 students. Sam has worked for the Louisiana Governor, and he has served as a national officer for his fraternity, Kappa Sigma. Sam attributes much of his success to what he learned as a young man growing up in Ville Platte. He is very grateful to the people and for the experience, and he learned the value of building and fostering strong relationships and working hard for your goals. Sam remains committed to Sacred Heart High School, and his future plans are to attend law school and then potentially earn a PhD in either Public Policy or Higher Ed. Other Rotary News: • The program for the next meeting on October 3rd will be presented by Rotarian Annette Johnson • The District Governor will be visiting the Ville Platte Rotary on October 24th.