St. Edward’s University is home to a wide variety of clubs and organizations, but the constant departure of senior members from these groups can lead to once popular clubs falling into disarray. But in the case of one club, Monarchs on the Hilltop, that fate seems to have been avoided thanks to its new president, Jose Sanchez.
Monarchs on the Hilltop is a student organization that has had a presence on campus since at least 2017, with the club being founded to give a voice to undocumented students following the 2016 presidential election. Ever since, Monarchs has been dedicated to the creation of a safe space and community for undocumented students and students of mixed status families. Its presence on campus remains consistent, despite the pandemic,into the modern day.
Following the departure of Monarchs’ previous president, Nicole Chuecas, in spring 2023, former vice president Jose Sanchez stepped up to become the club’s new president. Sanchez has filled a variety of roles within the organization since joining three years ago.
“I feel like this year, the club, I’m trying to give it more of a direction,” Sanchez said. “I’m not saying that the previous years didn’t have a direction, but I want to make it clear we are here to support undocumented students, allies, mixed status students, and I want to make it clear that is our goal.”
A major aspect of how Sanchez wants to bring his vision of Monarchs to fruition is through improving communication and the wider connectivity of the club on campus. Sanchez made clear that he values not only the other members of Monarchs’ administration but also the club’s wider member base in another statement.
“My direction is definitely having more communication with my members, especially my vice president,” Sanchez said. “Trying to update them with more information that I receive, things I do, and I also really value their opinions on topics, their input on things. Overall, collaboration is my biggest thing.”
A major advantage of being a club on campus is the ability to collaborate with other clubs and organizations. For groups on the hilltop, this is a powerful way to further spread their message on campus and create joint efforts with other organizations with whom they might share a common goal. Sanchez added that his goals of improving communication are not limited to Monarchs, but span to their connections with other campus organizations as well.
“We are planning to collaborate with ASA(Asian Students Association) for an end of the year event,” Sanchez said. “We are trying to collaborate and be there for other clubs and make our presence on campus known.”
For those interested in joining Monarchs this year but were unable to attend the organization’s first meeting, Sanchez recommended attending the upcoming UndocuWeek from Oct. 16-19 to learn more about the organization.
“”It’s going to be a week full of events regarding immigration, what it means to be an immigrant and the immigrant experience,” Sanchez said. “We are going to be showing movies, discussion panels and everyone is welcome, so you guys should come check us out.”
