Aysegul Timur, the first female president of FGCU, has started her role as leader of the university. This historic election is an optimistic sign for the university.

The four previous presidents of FGCU left an important legacy by contributing to the emergence and establishment of the university with significant distinctions. However, President Timur has her own strengths to offer, as she seems to be student-centered and selfless. In my opinion, the past leaders were more focused on delegating their ideas rather than appearing available to the students and people of FGCU.

President Timur’s unquestionable knowledge and ability to lead a growing university with nearly 16,000 students got her the votes from the Board of Trustees, and she has now started her new demanding role as the first female president. As an FGCU senior, when I heard that President Timur won the FGCU presidency, I felt satisfaction and hope. She is an inspiration to the rising women of today.

I hope that the upcoming students of FGCU will have the chance to chart their own path, guided by learning and a welcoming environment. A female president will continue to protect them, encourage them and provide them with precious supplies, in order to reach their ultimate goals. They’re not just a barcode on their ID card, nor a great source of income for the institution. They’re human beings who need to entrust their talents to expert tutors who will help them develop and perfect those skills.

I have several expectations for President Timur. I would like her to listen to the students’ struggles and find solutions, because the investment in the higher education of a single student could be equivalent to the success of a true leader.

I expect stronger and better-developed communication relations, collaborations and diversity. We are not just cogs in a well-tuned machine, but irreplaceable elements of a single core that has a common goal, the progress of the whole.

For some people, President Timur may simply be another president of an ordinary university in Southwest Florida. But for others, she is a phenomenal leader who managed to achieve all her goals through difficulties, disappointments, endless hours of study and countless efforts. This is a victory.

President Timur has the opportunity to emerge as an emblematic personality of our university. Although she may need time to adjust and make her vision for FGCU a reality, a female president will demonstrate the skills needed to achieve her goals and leave a lasting impact on each student and the university as a whole. Because after all, #sheismypresident.