President Switch Day

QCC’s President, Dr. Luis Pedraja, and President of the QCC Student Government Association, Jorgo Gushi got the chance to find out what it was like to spend a day in each other “shoes,” during President Switch Day, held in late February.

Mr. Gushi spent the day going from meeting to meeting seeing exactly how Dr. Pedraja spends his days. The engineering major, who is a sophomore this year, was kept on his toes all day as he navigated the president’s schedule.

"President’s Switch Day has been one of the most fascinating and exciting experiences I have ever had as a student and leader," he said. "The first day, when I shadowed President Pedraja, was intense. It all started with a cup of coffee at the president’s office (believe me, much more than a cup is needed to be ready for such a day!). A series of meetings followed, starting with the Executive Team, continuing with the Leadership Team and ending up with the Board of Trustees meeting. Through every meeting I attended and every discussion that I participated in, I realized the uniqueness of the responsibilities somebody has as college president; the hard decisions, the lengthy meetings, but also the fun and excitement of serving 7000-plus students."

"The most thrilling part of the day, was when I had the opportunity to make an executive decision on behalf of the President’s Office. I was able to make available one of the staff/faculty parking spots to a different student every month," Mr. Gushi continued. "A student success survey will be released on the first Monday of each month via student email and students can complete the monthly survey to have their name entered into the drawing to win this parking spot."

During his time in Presidents Switch Day, Dr. Pedraja went back in time, becoming a college student once again. He took one of Mr. Jorgo’s courses with Engineering Professor Dadbeh Bigonahy; spent time socializing in the Fuller Student Center, and co-chaired a Student Government Association meeting with Mr. Gushi.

“This was truly enlightening for both of us,” said Dr. Pedraja. “Not only was it fun, but we also walked away learning something valuable about each other’s day-to-day life on campus. It was a terrific experience and one that I hope to do again in the future.”