On April 30, Riordan welcomed the 7th District supervisor, Myrna Melgar to campus to talk about community improvement projects.  Her districts include West Portal, Forest Hill, Inner Sunset, St. Francis Woods, Miraloma, and Monterey Heights, and 35 percent of Riordan students. 

Melgar’s family emigrated to San Francisco from El Salvador to escape the civil war in the 80s. She is able to fluently speak Spanish, English and French and can speak Swedish, too.  She attended SF State, Excelsior College  and Columbia University. She has a master’s degree in urban planning and a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. 

Melgar is an urban planner and an economic development and housing policy expert. She has been an advocate for homeownership opportunity, rent control and helping small businesses. She has also helped with the rights of workers and education opportunities for the disadvantaged.

Melgar has been a supervisor since Jan. 1, 2021. She won in November with 56 percent of the vote in her district. 

Melgar commented on her election, saying,  “I think there should be more women, more immigrants, and more moms in elected office.” 

President Dr. Andrew Currier said of her visit, “We discussed the upcoming Balboa Reservoir Housing Project, Riordan’s programs, our international nature and the broad diversity represented in our student body, faculty, and staff.  Supervisor Melgar was also interested in traffic safety on Frida Kahlo Way and will ensure that the public works departments ensure that we have adequate traffic and crosswalk safety.”

Riordan’s Student Parliament Presidents were also in attendance. They both thought the meeting was important to keep up with local leaders. 

Jonathan Torrea ’21 said, “I think it is important to be able to talk to influential leaders as students. Having intimate conversations with them helps students learn how those leaders think and also feel about certain issues.”

Gigi DiGiulio ’21 said, “Talking to influential leaders, such as the supervisor, is important because we are all members of the same community that are directly affected by policies and decisions made by our leadership.”

Simon Chiu, Director of Development, stated, “As a school, it’s important for us to be good neighbors and for us to recognize that we exist as part of a larger community. Inviting Supervisor Melgar to visit us is a part of that understanding.”