For Ria Ellendula (C’ 25), every minute is a moment. From tapping her gavel at weekly Undergraduate Assembly meetings to popping and locking on stage with Penn Masti, Ria’s life is always on the go. Despite her nonstop life, she has never forgotten the passion that defines her: to make a tangible impact at Penn and beyond.
As a champion of menstrual product availability and campus inclusion policies, Ria has never failed to create a difference in her four years at Penn. As she prepares to take on life after college, her vision for meaningful reform continues to shine brightly, ensuring that she will face every challenge with the same solution–oriented dedication she has shown at Penn.
Name: Ria Ellendula
Hometown: Northville, Mich.
Major: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a minor in Legal Studies and History
Activities: President of Undergraduate Assembly, Penn Masti, Friars Senior Society, Perry World House Student Fellow, Class Board 2025
What do you believe initially sparked your interest in student government at the collegiate level?
So Penn is really interesting because it has five branches of student government. It’s this very intricate web that people aren’t super familiar with unless they’re involved in the space. Each branch serves a different and unique purpose.
What really sparked my interest in student government, specifically the UA, was the idea that it was oriented around policy advocacy and service to Penn’s student body. Every UA member gets a chance to be involved in any sort of subject area that interests them. We also have the unique position of being able to fund various student organizations. The UA is allocated a sum of money that we then use to fund the Student Activities Council which then funds all the SAC–recognized groups on campus. We also manage our own funds, such as the Contingency Fund. In the past, we have also piloted a Social Life and Inclusion Fund, which aimed to make social experiences equitable on campus. We have a lot of space to make a huge impact on campus and that’s what really spoke to me about the UA. I get to pursue project and policy work, which I’ve always been interested in since I’m on the pre–law track, but I also get to be so involved with the student body and understand how Penn runs and operates.
Class Board 2025 was a very different experience. Class Board was all about social programming, events, and class merchandise. We got to plan a lot of Penn traditions like Econ Scream and Hey Day. It was mostly meant to bring the whole class together.
You have conducted a lot of work in establishing menstrual product accessibility on Penn’s campus; can you tell me what inspired you to navigate those challenges?
One of my big projects at Penn was related to making menstrual products cost–free on campus. Before I even came to Penn, this project had years of backing behind it. So when I started as a freshman in the UA, I was originally partnered as a liaison with a student group that was really interested in making menstrual products free on campus. The first step we took was collaborating on a survey that was sent out to the student body to see how others felt on the matter. One big challenge that we typically face in the UA is that when you want to spearhead a very impactful project, you need to have a lot of evidence behind it to display the necessity on campus. Through that survey, we got around 200 responses worth of evidence to show that a need for menstrual products did actually exist.
From there, I worked with one of Penn’s administrative departments to get boots on the ground for this project. One of the biggest challenges was that it was a very slow–moving project, which is expected because a need had to be demonstrated before we can actually allocate any sort of funding towards it.
During my sophomore year, we set up a pilot program at Hill College House. Because of the success of the program, last year, we were able to expand free distribution of menstrual products to all of Penn’s housing facilities.
That was a long–winded explanation, but quite simply, I believe that the biggest challenge with solving a problem on campus is taking the time to take a step back. It’s important to slow down and prove that you’re actively matching every part of the problem with a solution. Sometimes, these things are slow–moving, but the results are definitely worth it.
You hold a leadership role that is crucial in sustaining campus culture and attitude; what is your guiding principle when it comes to making big decisions?
I think my guiding principle is two–fold. I believe that you need proof, and you need process. I talked about proof earlier when I mentioned that at every step in the process, you need to ensure that you’re actually meeting a need that the student body has. For example, on the UA, we have four unique committees: Academic Initiatives, Equity and Inclusion, Dining, Housing and Transit, and Community Engagement and Sustainability. Those end up touching arguably all pillars of student life. So whenever we devise a project idea, we want to make sure that they are sourced from genuine student needs.
For example, if an UA member is working to add more gluten–free options in the dining halls, the first step we would need to take is to prove that a student need exists. Maybe, this comes from student testimony, or even a survey, but this evidence is the cornerstone of proving the necessity of a specific project. That pretty much makes up the “proof” part, but the “process” part is where we want to ensure that all of our projects receive adequate feedback, guidance, and advice. They’re necessary to create all–encompassing solutions that reflect the diversity of experiences we place into our proposals.
In one sentence, it’s about the proof and the process.
Outside of your involvement with student government and civic engagement, you are a dancer on Penn Masti. What does dance mean to you, and how do you believe Masti has influenced your personal and academic life?
In my experience at Penn, you step on campus, and it is immediately very pre–professional. There are so many clubs and organizations that you have the ability to join, and it becomes so overwhelming as a first year. On top of that, you have all of your classes. When you combine your coursework with your extracurriculars, it piles on to be so much time and effort. You end up using your brain in so many ways, and it definitely gets tiring.
For me, dance is the opposite. You don’t really need to think when you’re doing it. It’s fun. It’s a stress reliever. So whenever I’m tired of using my brain, I like to dance; there’s no thinking involved. If I had to define it, dancing is the moment where I get to forget about everything going on in my life. That's what it means to me.
Penn Masti has had such a huge impact on my time at Penn. I’ve met so many amazing mentors through the team and made such strong friendships through it. I’ve gotten to do what I love, and I’ve also gotten to do it competitively, which is always a good time for my competitive spirit.
From political advocacy to academics to personal endeavors, your schedule is packed. What do you do to unwind and get away from it all?
I mentioned I like to dance; that’s a huge one. I also really love to go on walks. As you know, Philly has such a vibrant food scene, and so my friends and I have gotten into the habit of walking across the city rather than Ubering. It’s just so nice and relaxing and a great way to immerse yourself with the areas surrounding campus.
After being involved with so many activities and groups on campus, what’s next for you after Penn? What are your long–term goals?
I think I want to take a gap year and just explore my different interests. I want to get some professional experience and also would really like to volunteer. I think that’s something that was put on the back burner during my time at Penn, but I’d really like to help out at an immigration clinic or some other related organization. It's always been something I've felt passionate about.
However, ultimately, I’m still on the pre–law track, so I really want to pursue law school in my future. I think constitutional law or civil rights law would be really cool fields, but let’s see what the future holds.
Finally, what advice would you give to other students, particularly female ones, who are looking to make an impact in their own community or campus?
I would say that if you feel passionate about something, you should never feel afraid to express it. Every good thing, every good change, starts with a simple idea and an individual with enough drive and commitment to rally behind it, no matter what kind of pushback they receive. Don’t use challenges as an immediate reason to give up; instead, look for loopholes. Look for new perspectives on an issue; if there’s a problem, there’s always a way of solving it.
If route one doesn’t work, use route two. If route two is blocked, go route three. The best way to plan ahead is by setting up as many contingency plans as possible. Additionally, you should aim to involve as many people and organizations as you can. There are always people looking to help out, and the more people you can collaborate with, the easier it is to find a feasible solution to an issue.
Lightning Round:
Favorite BYO destination on campus? Virasat Haveli
If someone were to make a television drama about your life at Penn, what would it be called? Home Away From Home
Favorite song of 2024? “Mystery Lady” by Masego and Don Toliver
Guilty pleasure snack? Oreos and milk
There’s two kinds of people at Penn … Sinkers and swimmers
And you are? Definitely a sinker
