The first time Lillian Rozsa didn’t exercise her right to vote was when she came to UF. As a freshman, she didn’t want to vote for the single-party system in Senate, which was run by Swamp Party.
“I was dissatisfied, almost angry,” she said. So she didn’t vote. It wasn’t until Access Party came along that she felt represented in Student Government.
Rozsa is now running for Student Body treasurer with Access. She said the party’s ideals let her express her own.
“They were saying things I had thought,” she said.
The 20-year-old UF political science and women’s studies sophomore said when she turned 18, she voted in every type of election, because she believes everyone should vote.
She got involved with Access as a freshman in Spring 2015 working as a volunteer. This past Fall, Rozsa interviewed with Access for a District D senator seat and won with 755 votes.
“I really got into Student Government because I noticed that it wasn’t working for a lot of students, like myself, who didn’t agree with a single party (system),” she said.
The West Palm Beach native grew up learning to ask critical questions from her mom, who also attended UF.
As a freshman, Rozsa said in order to make an effort to get involved on campus, she joined UF’s Women’s Student Association, where she is now the vice president. She said the organization allows women to fight for gender equality.
But she noticed there was no space for men or other genders to help the movement, so she founded the UF chapter of HeForShe, a United Nations campaign inviting all genders to help create gender equality. Rozsa said she understands how a student organization can start from nothing and become successful. As founder and president of UF’s HeForShe, she’s seen her organization grow over the year.
Dani Gennaro, the president of WSA, said she’s seen Rozsa become a leader through events. She said Rozsa organized Feminist Fun Friday last Fall, an event that raised awareness about feminism on the Plaza of Americas. She dealt with funding for the event — and Gennaro said she did it with ease.
“One thing that’s always stood out to me was her ability to balance her schedule,” Gennaro said, adding that she wasn’t surprised when she found out Rozsa was running for Student Body treasurer.
“She really has shown that she cares about individuals as well as people in organizations,” the 21-year-old UF finance and women’s studies senior said. “Her ability to reach out and relate to people is really, really strong.”
Rozsa said she understands the difficulties students face when trying to start an organization. She hopes to make the process more transparent and easier for students.
“I want to build relationships with student organizations from the first day I take office,” she said.
Rozsa, who became a Florida Cicerone this semester, said she’s excited to bring understanding, transparency and efficiency to SG.
“I think what keeps me going is that I believe in everything I’m doing,” she said. “I love democracy so much, and I think really that’s worth fighting for here.”
Lillian Rozsa is a 20-year-old UF political science and women’s studies sophomore running for Student Body treasurer with Access Party.
Rozsa currently serves as a senator for District D. She serves as the current vice president of the Women’s Student Association and is the president and founder of the UF chapter of HeForShe. Rozsa has also served on the Transportation and Fee Committee.
She said she wants to remain accessible to students trying to start student organizations.
“I really understand what it takes to be part of a student organization and to really start from the bottom up in terms of financials with student organizations,” she said. “I really think that I’m someone that students can go to if they have fee complaints or go to for any sort of question they may have.”
