By Jon Parton
The results are in and the college has a new lineup of student senators for the upcoming school year.
The elections were held Sept. 4 through 6. Students were able to vote either on the second floor of the COM building or online. Sixteen at-large senators were elected after the final votes were tallied.
Among the newly elected was Brenden Brower-Freeman. Brower-Freeman attended Tonganoxie High School, where he was active in student government. He said he had to put college on hold after graduating in 2011.
The incoming freshman suffered from leukemia and said he wanted to focus on his health before trying to take on the responsibilities of college. He said that he hopes to get on a few key committees during the school year to help influence change.
Brower-Freeman believes that he can help make the school better in his role as a student senator.
“So many people only go to class without experiencing everything the college has to offer,” he said. “I wanted to contribute to make it a more collegiate experience for students.”
Sergio Sanchez, another new incoming senator, said his involvement in Student Senate came from his desire to immerse himself in the college.
“I just got out of high school, brand new here,” Sanchez said. “I really wanted to get involved in stuff because, you know, what I’ve come to notice is that people aren’t really talkative, at least during these first couple of weeks. I said, ‘Let’s get involved, let’s make some friends, have a good college experience.’”
Sanchez, a Shawnee Mission North graduate, said although he doesn’t have a specific major in mind yet, he wants to focus on either business or communication. He said he hopes to get more students involved in campus life over the school year.
“They’re just not participating,” Sanchez said. “What I plan to do is get more people involved in activities, clubs and just so they can experience that.”
For newly-elected senator Vanessa Lawton, a leadership role is something she is used to.
“This is kind of similar to a position I took two years back,” she said. “It was with Engage KC Leadership Board. We worked with city hall and we were the voice for the teenagers, young adults who were in college, throughout the city.”
Lawton, a graduate of the Paseo Academy in Kansas City, said her interest in serving as a student senator comes from her wanting to help others. She plans to major in fashion design, a subject she studied in high school.
“I just love volunteering, reaching out and making sure peoples’ voices are heard,” she said.
All elected Student Senators include Sierra Berry, Lara Blomberg, Brenden Brower-Freeman, Rachel Georges, Preet Kaur, Vanessa Lawton, Cecilia Lopez, Annie Lynn, Anthony Magee, Alanzo McIntosh, David Peterson, Elliot Rogers, Faisal Saidu, Sergio Sanchez, Mehak Sood and Shuaibu Umar.
Contact Jon Parton, managing editor, at jparton@jccc.edu.