Waynesburg University’s Student Senate welcomed five new members this past Tuesday, Sept. 26, in a ceremony on the fourth floor of Stover at 5:30 p.m. Sophomore psychology major, Mikayla Haggerty, along with freshmen Holly Ludvigsen, Andrew Hreha, Claire Wherthey and Daniel Booth, were sworn in by Student Senate President Nick Cordova.
Haggerty, the sophomore of the group, was sworn in first. After that, the four freshmen were sworn in by Cordova, after reciting an oath. Ludvigsen, who came to Waynesburg from Fremont, Nebraska, was heavily involved in extra-curricular activities while in high school. Some of her activities included President of Key Club, Vice President of Athletic Letter Club and President of National Honor Society. Ludvigsen said that her experience in high school, as well as her involvement as a Stover Scholar at Waynesburg University helped convince her to run for Student Senate.
“I had a lot of leadership positions in high school, so I was kind of used to that,” Ludvigsen said.
“A lot of the [Stover Scholars] are also in Student Senate, and they were super nice, and I want to be a part of something that’s helping to make Waynesburg University even better than it already is.”
More specifically, Ludvigsen looks forward to working with Operation Christmas Child, which is a project Student Senate partners with.
Hreha, a journalism major, was involved with student council for all four years at Apollo-Ridge high school and was president of student council his senior year. Hreha said that this experience helped lead him to Student Senate at Waynesburg.
“I always try to take a leadership role wherever I am,” Hreha said. “In high school, I got on the student council, and that really started to get me interested in leadership, so much as the student organizations, so things like Student Senate really caught my eye when I came to Waynesburg and made me want to pursue that.”
Hreha said one challenge of being in Student Senate is the size difference of Waynesburg University compared to his high school.
“Because I’m representing a larger number of people than I was in high school, I think it’s going to be a little more difficult to represent and act for the people that I’m representing,” Hreha said. “Apollo-Ridge is a smaller high school, so if someone wanted to have an idea presented or had anything that they wanted to see student council do, they could come to me and talk to me about it. I’m just worried that here, people will be a little more hesitant if they don’t know me to come up and say ‘Hey, I want to see this happen’.”
Ludvigsen is currently on the budget committee, which she says might turn into a budget and social media committee. For Ludvigsen, understanding her role with the Senate without being afraid to give input will be important as she adjusts.
“I need to remember that I am a freshman, so I am not in charge,” Ludvigsen said. “It’s different from senior year of high school, but I just need to make sure I remember to speak up when I do have opinions about stuff.”
Student Senate is currently planning for events such as Harvestfest, which will be held Oct. 26, as well as working with the Beautification Committee. Hreha said that one of his goals is to be someone that students will be comfortable talking to about suggestions he can share with the Senate.
“I want everyone to be able to [suggest ideas] so that I can go to the Senate and say ‘here’s some ideas.’” Hreha said. “If people come up to me and tell me what they want to see, I’m definitely open to that.”
Hreha believes he can bring some creativity and experience to the table in Student Senate.
“I’ve had a lot of experience with volunteer and community outreach in the past, so I think I can offer that. I’m also connected to a lot of my fellow classmates, so if they ever have an issue, they can come to me and I can approach the Senate,” Hreha said.
Above all else, Hreha looks forward to learning from and working with the upperclassmen in the Senate.
“I’m really looking forward to working with a lot of the upperclassmen,” Hreha said. “They’re leaders who took on the same position, most of them as freshmen, and they’ve sort of built their college careers from their freshman year. I really look forward to just getting as much knowledge from them as I possibly can, because they’ve already been down this road I’m just starting on.”
For Ludvigsen, officially beginning her journey with Student Senate was a thrill.
“Just knowing that I’m a part of this group that does so much good,” Ludvigsen said, “getting to be a part of that, and knowing that now it’s official, was really cool.”