A new undergraduate student representative for the Board of Trustees at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) was chosen in August.

Lia McMillian, the new undergraduate representative, is a second-year student majoring in product and service design. 

In her role, McMillian listens to undergraduate students and their concerns, so she can bring them to the Board of Trustees’ attention. 

“The most important thing when you are trying to solve problems for a specific group of people is meeting them where they are at,” McMillian said. 

McMillian explained what her role as an undergraduate student representative will look like.

“My role is to attend several meetings throughout the year where they address various action items,” she said.

She also said being on the board has opened up opportunities for her at BGSU so far. 

“The board has opened a lot of opportunities for me to bring together different groups on campus and to engage with them and connect with them,” she said. 

McMillian’s goal after college is to find a job in product and service, but her ideal job would be designing for accessibility, which was inspired by her older brother who has autism.

She also interacts with students on a one-on-one level to observe different problems and find solutions. 

“I take their perspective and hear what they want and what they need,” McMillian said. 

She explained that it’s important to hear problems from both the graduate and undergraduate students at BGSU.

“For the board, having both a graduate and an undergraduate student trustee is crucial,” she said. 

McMillian will serve on the Board of Trustees for the next two years through May 16, 2027.