When described for nomination to the Spotlight Award, the legacy that Simone Moales has left at Spelman College was defined as one of “sisterhood, advocacy, and excellence.” To her peers, these three words encompass a remarkable 4 years at Spelman College, and a legacy that, if you ask them, is well-cemented.
Not only is Moales’ Spelman legacy deeply solidified, it is multifaceted as well. She currently serves as the 83rd President of the Spelman College Student Government Association, having worn numerous hats in SSGA over the years. She is a proud member of the Spelman College Glee Club, the Morehouse College Moot Court Team and of the Eta Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
“It takes a lot to be an advocate, but it’s so rewarding when you know your purpose and when you are led by a guiding force that is much bigger than you,” Moales stated.
“It’s always God at the forefront, but at the campaign, it was equity. With the Glee Club, it was Black representation in music. With SGA, it was advocacy for students who are not even aware of how to address their concerns. With Moot Court, it was legal advocacy and learning the ropes, but I knew that there was a stronger force that was behind each and every move I made.”
Moales’ journey within the Spelman sisterhood began on the 3rd floor of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall. She cites her first-year dorm as her introduction to true Spelman sisterhood, and reflects on the bonds she made within Abby as the support she leaned on as she campaigned for First-year Class Council President.
“My entire campaign team came from Abby and then it just grew as the days came along. But this was really a community, the first community on campus that really believed in me and showed me that what I had was not just a campaign, it was a movement,” she stated.
“I’m so grateful to my sisters in Abby because they really allowed me to go through Spelman with the mindset of an advocate. You can’t do it alone. This is not a process that can be done alone. It takes multiple sisters. It takes groups. It takes coalitions. It takes collaboration. It takes teamwork, but it also takes trust. And I’m so grateful that they trusted me.”
With advocacy at the forefront, her platform M.O.V.E. with Moales would grow each year, with campaign after campaign. Following FYCC, she aimed to shift from Class Council to SSGA, and assume a “more rigid role” that would allow her “to work solely on policy advocacy, making sure students’ concerns were met and addressed.”
Moales was appointed as Director of Compliance and Safety for the Eminent 81st Administration. She reflects on this as her favorite role she has held in SSGA, and cherishes the responsibility of having made sure that her fellow Spelmanites felt safe around campus through Cupcakes and Consent events, campus safety walks and more.
“It was that role that really forced me to be extremely creative in my advocacy,” she said.
“We had a lot of fun and we were able to navigate some serious conversations with creativity with joy and, of course, through a mature lens that really helped to enhance the safety of our students.”
The movement continued as she campaigned for Vice President at the culmination of her sophomore year, and again when, in her junior year she was elected President of Spelman’s SGA.
In the fall of her senior year, Moales turned her attention towards another campaign: the 2024 Presidential election. She was no stranger to the world of politics, having worked on Capitol Hill for Senator Jon Ossoff and Representative Jahana Hayes. She had served as an Advance Associate for the Biden-Harris Administration and was now met with the opportunity to do the same for the Harris-Walz Campaign.
Moales names these experiences as the most rewarding of her life, and spent the season met with the task of navigating voter engagement on the frontlines while also leading her school through a consequential election period.
“One word comes to mind and it’s always historic. I have worked under administrations that are historic in their own right,” Moales stated. “And so that level of attention to the historicity of the moment and recognizing how powerful that time is, is something that I will always keep with me.”
“I’m grateful to Spelman for molding me into a woman who was prepared to enter that space and to not lose my voice when I got there.”
She also noted how this historicity created a different focus than a President’s typical focus on in-house initiatives. Campus affairs became campaign affairs, as she worked with SSGA Director of Leadership and Civic Engagement Makhi Frempong to coordinate collaborations with the Fulton County Board of Elections, voter registration drives, and a visit from Governor Tim Walz.
“I’m grateful that I was a part of that Advance Team, and then also here to be on the ground as SGA president to serve as a liaison between the school and the campaign,” she said.
As graduation draws nearer, Moales states that she wants her legacy to be one of lived experience amplified for good, and of making her peers feel seen, heard, and supported. Above all, she expressed her hope that she has poured into a new generation, and that they will be well equipped with the tools to lead.
“There should be no holes when I leave,” Moales stated. “Because I hope that I’ve not only inspired, but that I have empowered, that I have taught, that I have mentored, and that all that I have poured out will be returned to me in the leadership that I see next year when I am gone.”
“As I close out my time here, I think that I have crossed my T’s and dotted my I’s and now it is time to see this new generation emerge and do the work,” she stated. “And hopefully I’ve been able to help them by pouring into them, by empowering them and hopefully by inspiring them in all that I do.”
