Ethan Rosenberry and Kennedy Holt, the freshmen candidates for the class of 2025 senatorial race, gave introductory speeches last Thursday night at McFeely’s. 

Voting for the class of 2025 elections opens Sept. 13 at 8 a.m. and closes the following Thursday, Sept. 23, at 4 p.m. The class of 2025 can access voting via the link emailed to them in their university email. 

Rosenberry has a lengthy history of student government involvement. He served on the student council at Shippensburg Area Senior High School, where he spent two years as a council member and two years as president. He served as president for the class of 2021 at his high school. During this time, he contributed to getting the auditorium remodeled and the addition of a new statue to the front of the school. 

Rosenberry chose Shippensburg University because he grew up in the area and is fond of the close-knit community, he said. He has high hopes for his SGA role if elected, as he has seen the impact an involved student government can have on students. 

“I want the student body to do more than succeed, I want them to thrive,” Rosenberry said. 

Holt has a passion for activism and has been involved with Reach Out, a service-learning project that provides curricular materials and support for the Pathways of Learning School in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic.  

Holt’s priorities include diversity, inclusion and battling systemic racism. She began her speech with a quote from James Baldwin, an American writer and activist. 

“It comes as a great shock…to discover that the flag to which you have pledged allegiance…has not pledged allegiance to you.

Holt wants SU students to know that she sees and hears them. She emphasized the importance of addressing cultural and economic disparities, expressing her desire for everyone to have the same opportunity for success. 

“We as a society have learned to view those different to us as trivial or inferior, let’s change this narrative.” Holt said. 

An audience member asked Holt what a change she wants to advocate for is. Holt said she would like the campus to become involved with the Innocence Project. 

“As your senator I vow to create effective, beneficial reform to our campus. I will undertake these callings graciously and in a progressive manner.” Holt said. Rosenberry also spoke on change he wants to see.

“I want to push people to go outside of their comfort zones, try new things.” Rosenberry said. He spoke about how pursuing new opportunities and pushing himself led to personal growth, growth he desires to share with the community of SU. 

Time management is a skill many students learn to develop while in college, and both candidates were asked how they will manage their time. 

Rosenberry prioritizes tasks by their due date and emphasized the importance of seeing professors during their office hours and using programs offered on campus, he said. Holt keeps God first, uses a planner and prioritizes commitments by importance, she said.

Candidates were also asked about their greatest weaknesses and how they planned to improve. Holt’s greatest weaknesses are pessimism and guilt about not doing enough, she said. She plans to address this by remembering to value herself and the work she has accomplished. Rosenberry’s greatest weakness was being too passive at times and plans to combat this by putting his ideas out there instead of relying on someone else, he said.

The class of 2025 can vote for senators using the link in their university email.

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