By JORDAN GREEN, Editor-in-Chief
What are their strengths? What are their goals?
That’s what you, a student at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, need to know about the candidates running for seats on the Student Government Association — and that’s exactly what the Northwestern News can tell you about.
Candidates for the offices of student body vice president, secretary and treasurer spoke with the News about their ambitions and why they’re asking for your vote April 6 and 7.
Their responses to our questions have been edited for length and clarity.
VICE PRESIDENT CANDIDATES: YOSBELLI LORA & GRAYSON PRAY
Yosbelli Lora, a senior psychology major from Ringwood, is running for the office of vice president.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: One of my favorite things to do is to walk into people’s office and pick people’s brains. I came to Northwestern because I was in an Upward Bound program in high school, so I’ve been around Northwestern since 2015. When I was in high school, I told myself, “I’m never coming to Northwestern.” I came back in 2016 and really liked it. Then I got accepted, and I’ve really liked it ever since.
Q: Why are you running for this office?
A: I’m running for vice president because, thus far, I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the organization. It’s been a great way to grow in leadership. I love talking to our students. I’m a social butterfly. Last semester, I caught COVID, and I was in isolation for a really long time. Once I was out, I wasn’t at 100%. I feel, because of that, I wasn’t able to give as much to the students, but now I’ll be sticking around a little longer. Everything worked out with school. I want to assist the student body and make it a more enjoyable place and have a positive impact.
Q: What is one specific goal you hope to accomplish if elected?
A: I think ultimate goal is to get as many people involved as possible, making them feel welcomed. We officers are there to help them with anything they need. We’re here to make them feel comfortable to reach out to our SGA with any concern or idea. We’re the voice of the students.
Q: What is one of your strengths?
A: One of my biggest strengths would be that I’m really energetic and enthusiastic. I love talking to our students and everybody in general – faculty, staff and students. I enjoy listening to them, finding out what’s going on in their lives. I’m open-minded, and I want to see their ideas.
Q: What else should students know about you?
A: I’m ready to serve. I’m really excited. We’ve got some really good folks out here, and I look forward to what they have to bring to student government.
Grayson Pray, a sophomore computer science major from Bluff City, Kansas, is running for the office of vice president.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I was originally in Wichita State University for my freshman and part of my sophomore year. I came to Northwestern because my oldest sister and younger are both here at Northwestern as well. So, that’s kind of how I wound up getting here. I’ve really enjoyed being here so far. I’ve met a lot of really nice people and made some good friends.
Q: Why are you running for this office?
A: I feel like, if I could be in the position of vice president, it would give me a great opportunity to help people because I could be a liaison between the staff and faculty at the college and the students and help facilitate a clear communication between the two. I feel like I could just be in a position where I could help make the change any students would want.
Q: What is one specific goal you hope to accomplish if elected?
A: I was just kind of thinking that, if I could become vice president, I would like to do just small, little, nice events or surprises for students. It might not be huge, campus-wide, big things, but it would just be small, nice things like free, complimentary snacks for people on a certain day. Maybe we could partner with some group or order some special food for a certain date in the cafeteria.
Q: What is one of your strengths?
A: I feel like I’m a good listener. I really hope I can be the type of vice president that, when students come to me saying things they would like or they would need, they can feel heard and understood. I can be someone they trust that, if they tell me something, I’ll actually do my best to do it.
Q: What else should students know about you?
A: My main motivation is that I really want to make Northwestern a more comfortable, happy and better place. I really hope, if I become vice president, I can do that.
TREASURER CANDIDATES: ERIKA HERNANDEZ & COLLIN ZINK
Erika Hernandez, a junior elementary education major from Laverne, is running for the office of treasurer.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I’m from a small town in Oklahoma. I’m pretty involved on the campus. I didn’t have a great first semester experience. Just coming from a small town, it was really hard, that transition.But through that, I got to learn a lot and meet a lot of new people. So, that’s my biggest thing, trying to help incoming freshmen.
Q: Why are you running for this office?
A: Northwestern has just really impacted my life. I was pretty shy, and I wasn’t really involved in the community or school activities. Northwestern really pushed me to step out of my comfort zone.
The people – the staff and the students – they made it possible because they’re there to help you out. I just want more people to get involved, to push students to step out of their comfort zone and do things that they don’t think they can.
Q: What is one specific goal you hope to accomplish if elected?
A: I have been a part of SGA since freshman year. I’ve attended most every meeting, and I don’t really see a lot of athletes involved, you know. SGA hosts a lot of events, and sometimes we don’t know, like, the athletes have busy schedules and stuff like that. So, I would really want to target student athletes and do activities that they would enjoy and they could participate in.
Q: What is one of your strengths?
A: I would definitely say communication skills. I’m a pretty talkative person. I think I’m pretty approachable. I like to reach out to people so they can feel comfortable reaching back to me.
Q: What else should students know about you?
A: I like to enjoy life. Obviously, we’re all going to school to get an education, to get a degree. I’ve made a lot of great memories, just late-night talks, going to an SGA event. After college, you’re going into the real world, and you’re going to have real responsibilities and stuff. So, enjoy your college years. I definitely try to. We all have homework, and we’re all busy, but do not lose sight of what’s around us, and make friendships that will last us a lifetime.
Collin Zink, a sophomore health and sports science major from Blackwell, is running for the office of treasurer.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I am a Catholic Christian, and I am an Eagle Scout. I’m an equipment manager for Northwestern football team. After I graduate, I want to be a manager in the NFL and hopefully one day coach football. I have started a club. It’s called Sanctus. It’s a Catholic club, but you don’t have to be Catholic to join. Every week, we pray the rosary and celebrate the holy mass.
Q: Why are you running for this office?
A: I kind of thought it would give me something positive to do. I want to promote positive vibes and just check up on students once in a while.
I was thinking that maybe I could find some good quotes from good, famous people, or some people around campus as well, and put them around campus for people to have something to read and look at to get inspired.
Q: What is one specific goal you hope to accomplish if elected?
A: My specific goal is to create a fun, safe environment for campus. For example, there’s a lot of people with sexual relationships on campus, and that can cause a lot of things – for people to drop out of college because they don’t have the money to pay for a child and to go to college. I’m thinking that maybe we can try to promote safe sex.
Q: What is one of your strengths?
A: I’m an Eagle Scout. To obtain that rank, I had to lead my Eagle Scout project for it be completed. I had to lead people to tell them what to do and how to get this done.
Q: What else should students know about you?
A: I have cerebral palsy, which is a weakness in my left side. That has caused me to not be able to do a lot of things in life. For example, I play video games with one hand.
It makes me want to tell people that, “Hey, people with disabilities can be in office and that they can do things that people with non-disabilities can do.” If I could prove something to them, I could prove to them that they shouldn’t count people with disabilities out quickly. Give them a chance to see what they can do.
SECRETARY CANDIDATES: ANGEL MARSHALL & AUSTIN RANKIN
Angel Marshall, a sophomore English major from Tahlequah, is running for the office of secretary.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I got offered a scholarship to run here in cross-country, but I only do track now. I’m Cherokee and Choctaw. After I graduate, I want to get my master’s in psychology and then get my LPC license to be a counselor and then maybe, after that, law school. I can speak a little bit of Cherokee. I’m not fluent, but I understand quite a bit.
Q: Why are you running for this office?
A: I’m running for office because I really just want to get out there a little more, get more involved. I think that, if I were to be elected as an SGA officer, it would help me work on a lot of my weaknesses. I can definitely improve in lots of areas, but public speaking is a big one I need to work on.
Q: What is one specific goal you hope to accomplish if elected?
A: Education is really important to me, and I know a lot of people who have been struggling the past two years with tutoring services and education and stuff. A lot of times, the athletic teams use study hall and forms of studying as a punishment, which should not be. I would form a committee focused on education. There could be groups of people that would meet once a week and just try to navigate through people’s academic questions. There just needs to be more help. Because if the school’s unable financially to get tutors or specific help, there are ways you can improvise and help out in different ways.
Q: What is one of your strengths?
A: I do think I’m a very good communicator. I think that I’m very neutral, seeing both sides of situations. I’m intuitive. I just think I’m really good at problem-solving, I would say for sure.
Q: What else should students know about you?
A: I’m someone they can talk to. I’ll help anybody with anything. If anyone needs any help, I’m really caring. I just want people to feel comfortable and safe with me, like, to bring problems, concerns, issues, anything. I just want people to feel comfortable with me, for sure.
Austin Rankin, a freshman political science major from Waynoka, is running for the office of secretary.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself.
A: I’m very interested in going into law after college. I plan on being a criminal law attorney. I’m active in the Ranger Band. I’m the founder and president of the Collegiate 4H Club on campus. I’m very active in BCM [Baptist Collegiate Ministries], and I take my faith very seriously.
Q: Why are you running for this office?
A: I’m the kind of person that, if I’m not actively participating in something, it’s kind of hard for me to stay interested in it. That’s been a little bit of a challenge with COVID. I just kind of want to assure that the student body is going to be able to have the same opportunities going in, and I want to take a really active role in assuring that there’s a lot of campus life on campus.
Q: What is one specific goal you hope to accomplish if elected?
A: If I was elected, what I would actually do is start a club activity retainment committee. What this committee would essentially do would be to have the presidents of each club kind of meet – or officers of specific clubs on campus – and discuss activities that are possible to be held and kind of discuss ways in which they could maintain activity within their clubs. I want to make sure that we stay really active throughout the year.
Q: What is one of your strengths?
A: Communication. I love talking to people, and I love speaking, public speaking. The more I’m able to communicate with people, the better. So, on our officer’s team, I find it that communication is absolutely essential to good teamwork, and have a really positive outlook on leadership.
Q: What else should students know about you?
A: First and foremost, I’m a Christian. Second, I’m a servant leader. And third, I really, really look forward to running for SGA secretary. I really put leadership as a priority in my life, and I absolutely love serving in leadership positions.
