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Germán Nolivos was sworn in as Syracuse University’s Student Government Association president on April 29, 2024. Less than 24 hours later, he received a phone call alerting him that a Gaza Solidarity Encampment had been set up on SU’s campus.

He sent out his first campus-wide email as president in response, later saying the experience prepared him for everything the presidency would bring.

“After that day, I can take anything,” Nolivos said.

Nolivos served two terms as SGA president and, throughout his time at the helm, faced budget deficits, changing administration and shifting student expectations. He also led campus initiatives such as the lending closet and the brain cancer awareness walk in support of outgoing Chancellor Kent Syrverud.

Born and raised in Venezuela, Nolivos came to the United States when he was 13 years old, moving to Miami, Florida. There, he began his journey in student government. He served as student government president his senior year of high school and class president the year prior.

As a senior in high school, he was nominated for the Posse Leadership Scholarship, an award that provides students with full four-year tuition scholarships from Posse’s partner schools, according to its website.

After doing his research on the Posse partner schools, Nolivos said SU was his “dream school” and had everything he was looking for in a university. When he arrived in Syracuse, Nolivos knew he wanted to continue serving in student government, as the leadership he developed in high school earned him his scholarship.

During his freshman year, Nolivos ran for and won SGA’s first-year representative seat, becoming the director of government affairs later that year. After serving as president of government affairs for the following year, Nolivos decided to run for president.

For his first presidential term, Nolivos ran unopposed alongside Reed Granger as his executive vice president candidate. Granger planned on running for an executive position in SGA and chose to run with Nolivos because they recognized his “drive to support students.”

“I thought that I could do a good job as president,” Nolivos said. “I felt that I had the management skills, I had done huge events and built relationships with a lot of administrators.”

The pair’s term was largely defined by improving SGA processes, implementing new campus initiatives and navigating the student protestors and encampments.

As his presidency led into a second term, Nolivos served with Janese Fayson at his side. The two became friends in Miami during their pre-collegiate training program through Posse. Fayson first became involved in SGA her junior year when she worked as the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.

“He’s so ambitious and (in) the best way possible. I think half the things that have happened wouldn’t have been done without him,” Fayson said. “German has worked so hard to create a culture that is dynamic, that is also ambitious, that is proud to be an SGA, and just full of amazing, smart, incredible people.”

German Nolivos and Janese Fayson served SGA together for the 2025-26 academic year. Solange Jain | Daily Orange File Photo

Nolivos emphasized the benefits of serving two back-to-back terms and how they’ve allowed him to accomplish more.

“In a year, it’s actually impossible to get things done because there’s so many filters, so many conversations,” Nolivos said. “I feel that the progress we have done has been possible because of the timeframe and how long I’ve been here, not only as president, but also with a lot of my same team members.”

Granger cited the lending closet as one of Nolivos’ most notable initiatives. The closet is designed to provide registered student organizations with items and supplies that are commonly requested during SGA’s allocations processes. For example, instead of four different clubs requesting funds for four different karaoke machines, the closet provides one that clubs can borrow when needed.

The closet was inspired by the budget deficit Nolivos inherited as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. When he became president, SGA had a negative $240,000 budget and had to find a way to accommodate funding requests from over 300 RSOs, Nolivos said.

“The sustainability of the lending closet initiative is one of the most impressive and tangible accomplishments I’ve seen a student government execute,” Granger said. “I’m really impressed with it, and I think it’s going to go a long way.”

Outside of SGA, Nolivos is a remembrance scholar, brother of SU’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter and served as the president of Las Naranjas Spanish Club for two years. While he’s busy serving as president, Nolivos still makes time for his friends who jokingly refer to him as a “campus celebrity.”

On top of his work for SGA, Nolivos also manages to take on two majors – political science and public relations. He finds a balance by using his classes to help inform his SGA work and vice versa. For example, Nolivos said his crisis public relations class helped prepare him for sending out campuswide emails regarding pressing campus issues.

Incoming SGA President Emily Castillo-Melean said Nolivos has set the standard for how an SGA president can and should lead. She said the bar he set is one she and every president that follows will “work tirelessly to uphold.”

Max Lachut, incoming executive vice president and fellow brother of SU’s Pi Kappa Alpha chapter, echoed that sentiment, describing Nolivos as someone who leads by example and whose dedication is evident in “every initiative, every event, every single thing that he leads.”

Although he’s graduating this year with a dual degree, Nolivos will return to SU in the fall to pursue his Master of Business Administration at the Whitman School of Management. He said his experience making difficult decisions, managing a $6 million budget and building events from scratch all prepared him for this next phase in his life.

Nolivos said that those factors, combined with SU’s Forever Orange program, made the decision to stay a “no-brainer.”

As Nolivos looks ahead, Granger said his impact on Syracuse will be long-lasting and extend far beyond the confines of campus.

“It is my belief that if anybody has the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with German, they should,” Granger said. “He cares about people, and he is one of the people at Syracuse University that I am most thankful I was able to meet, and I just hope that every other student that may follow me will have the chance to meet him or somebody like him.”

Published on May 4, 2026 at 11:05 pm
Contact Vivian: viviancollins@dailyorange.com