Last year, when UVM students elected Mahder Teferra as SGA President, they turned her slogan into reality — “Make it Mahder.”

Now a senior, Teferra has long been dedicated to making a positive impact on her local communities and the natural environment.

Teferra, who is graduating with a major in agroecology and landscape design from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, served as SGA President during the 2024-2025 term alongside Vice President Liv Bednarik. 

She was succeeded by sophomore Kennedy Connors, who took office on April 8.

On the final day of her presidency, Teferra sat in her office in the SGA lounge, overlooking Main Street. She described the day and the culmination of her senior year as bittersweet.

“I’m very sad to be leaving this organization that I’ve been part of for three years and have really immersed myself in. But I’m also really happy to see a new group of students take on new roles,” she said. 

Born in Massachusetts and raised in Ethiopia, Teferra credits the community-centered culture of her childhood in Ethiopia with instilling in her a deep motivation to get involved and be an active member of her community.

This passion for service inspired her to join SGA, she said.  

“Getting to be part of the community that dedicates themselves […] to represent and help other students and make UVM a better place has been really humbling,” Teferra said. “Although I am graduating and I don’t see myself going into any form of government, I hope that I can continue to be part of my community, wherever that may be, in an impactful way.”

Though her college selection process was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, Teferra saw UVM as her dream school. Now, four years later, she says she has loved her time here.

“I’ve met so many of my best friends here […] and so many of the faculty and staff who I hope to stay in contact with. They’ve made such an impact on my life,” she said. “I love this place, and I’m gonna miss it.”

Teferra was first elected as a SGA senator in her sophomore year and was selected as chair of the Committee on Environment. On the committee, she and other senators organized Earth Week programming and other sustainability-focused events, and worked to create an on-campus thrift store, though the store has not yet been established.

She believes her strong connection with the student body helped her succeed as President, enabling her to explain administrative decisions in a clear and effective way for students.

“I think every person on campus probably knows Mahder and has something positive to say about her,” said former SGA Treasurer Matt Sorensen, who served alongside Teferra during the entirety of her time in SGA. “She’s been really determined in her work, whether it be with her community environment or as President.”

The year Teferra was elected saw a significant increase in student voter participation, a trend that has continued with the 2025 SGA election, said Lina Balcom, Director of Student Life and advisor to SGA. Balcom attributed this increase to Teferra’s wide network of connections with students across campus.

Soon after Teferra and Bednarik took office in April 2024, encampments led by pro-Palestinian student protestors took center stage at UVM and at universities nationwide. She and Bednarik served as liaisons between student protestors and the administration, making sure students’ rights and free speech were protected, she said. 

“I think we were both really adamant about making sure students weren’t being punished for voicing their opinion or demanding change from administration, because that is our role as student government representatives,” Teferra said.

Teferra said that while the decision to stand in solidarity with student protestors was not a tricky one, finding an appropriate approach to do so was the challenge.

“That’s partially my role as President, but also a sense of personal responsibility. […] We could have easily not involved ourselves and set it aside as ‘we shouldn’t get involved in something political,’” Teferra said. “There is validity to that in some aspects. But I didn’t think we had a choice to not do anything.”

Teferra’s involvement in the UVM and wider Burlington community reaches far beyond SGA.

A longtime sports fan, she serves as head facility recreation supervisor for Campus Recreation, where she oversees a team of over 90 student employees, acts as a first responder to on-site emergencies and fields feedback from students. 

In her interview the summer before her first year, Teferra’s professionalism and kindness immediately stood out, recalled Cyrus Carey, associate director of Campus Recreation.

“I wanted to offer her a position as fast as I possibly could before someone else on campus offered her a job,” he said. “She’s a phenomenal leader. She leads with a lot of empathy and kindness.”

Teferra also served as an orientation leader for five semesters and was appointed to serve as a team leader after her first two semesters. Though the hours were long, she was thrilled to be able to welcome first-year students and work alongside dedicated staff, she said.

As a summer intern for Vermont Green Football Club, Teferra found another way to honor her love for sports and the environment. This summer will be her final summer with the club.

Vermont Green FC is an environmental justice-focused men’s soccer club that began its inaugural season in May 2022, according to the club’s website.

“I’m always gonna be a fan,” she said. “They do a lot of great work in the community and just try to use soccer as a kind of catalyst for social change.” 

Teferra has also contributed to social change as a peer educator with Preventing Institutional Violence Through Outreach and Training, a student-driven initiative led by Dr. Jennifer Demers, clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences .

After finishing her internship with Vermont Green FC this summer, Teferra hopes to move to Europe to pursue a graduate degree in landscape architecture.

“So many European cities that I’ve learned about have such great design and are very walkable and promote sustainability in so many of the things that they do,” she said. “I think it makes sense to live in a place and study in a place that implements that in their design.”

Looking towards the future, Teferra hopes to see the connection between UVM students and Burlington residents grow. Her time on SGA has given her a deeper understanding of the University’s impact on Burlington as a whole, she said.

“There is such a huge potential for UVM students to interact with their neighbors downtown in a positive way,” she said. “The most important thing that you can ever do or be a part of is be a good community member and a good neighbor.”

While she noted the University’s academic and athletic successes in recent years, she hopes to see the community become stronger, both in terms of improved support systems for students and increased consideration for Burlington’s residents.

“I don’t think there’s success without community,” Teferra said.