Ian Tan
Student Writer
Along with the much-welcomed warmth and revitalization of spring, Messiah is experiencing a season of curious anticipation around the SGA committee. Another year has ended, and while our last Student Body President and VP, Jamie Chau and Megan Eaton, have done considerable work in office, it is time to elect fresh representatives.
This year, we have three pairs running for this important leadership role. Todd Abbott and Marianne Gomez, Sarah Fe Harris and Tim Mahoney and TJ Culclasure and Laurel Hicks, have all presented themselves as candidates. Before voting ends this Friday, let’s get a sneak peek of the quirks and inspirations of these six students.
1) What has been your favorite or most impactful class at Messiah so far, and why?
“I would have to say that Dr. Seibert’s Bible class left the strongest impact on me,” Abbott said. “His thoughtful approach to each class period left me eager to explore new ways to interpret these texts that we’ve grown up reading!”
“Cultural Anthropology with Jenell Paris has been the only class to challenge me into going outside of my comfort zone,” Ramirez Gomez said. “My favorite part was having to break cultural norms and I learned so much about myself, my surrounding cultures, and the student body.”
“My FYS, Writings of the Inklings, which focused on the works of my favorite authors, Tolkien, Lewis, and Sayers,” Mahoney said. “It was great to go through great writing and hold discussions on deep topics.”
“Stories from the Margins,” said Harris. “I have had subsequent classes that were very formative, but my FYS helped crack open my academic curiosity. It provided me with an insatiable appetite to evaluate and reevaluate what I had taken for granted.”
“Animal form and function, because I was taking that at a time where I was questioning my choice to switch to Biology, and after that, I realized that I had what it takes to make it as a biology major and that this class shows you that you have to want it,” Culclasure said.
“Theatre for Social Change,” Hicks said. “I enjoyed being surrounded by different ideas than many that I am used to hearing. One project was to create a piece about the refugee crisis, an issue dear to us, and it was beautiful to see different abilities and talents merge to share our desire for social change.”
2) What is your favorite past time whenever you are not handling responsibilities?
“On my nerdy side, I’ve always been a dedicated collector of baseball memorabilia, stemming back to my time growing up as a batboy with the Washington Nationals organization,” Abbott said.
“I especially enjoy dancing, talking about issues that I’m passionate about, and going to Tacos Mi Tierra in Harrisburg,” Ramirez Gomez said.
“I read, play chess, exercise and write, but none of it comes close to the joy I get from spending time with my friends,” Mahoney said.
“If hardly anyone is in the library, I will claim one of those delightfully expansive bean bags, read Much Ado About Nothing, and freely cackle to myself,” Harris said. “It’s just so witty!”
“Either sleeping or hanging out with friends,” Culclasure said. “I am an introvert-extrovert, so I really value my alone time, but I also love creating deep relationships with people.”
“My favorite pastime is dancing,” Hicks said. “I have been dancing ever since I was little and have loved expressing and communicating through movement.”
3) Choose a superpower that you think would help you serve your fellow students better as a President or VP.
“If someone has access to the power of unlimited funds, y’all are in for a real treat,” Abbott said.
“I would love to be able to clone myself,” Ramirez Gomez said. “This would allow me to do multiple things at the same time and get to know more people faster.”
“The ability to make breakfast appear at every morning class,” Harris said. “Can you imagine how motivating that would be?”
“I think I would want to be The Flash,” Mahoney said. “He is the fastest man alive, which would be helpful, as I want to get a lot done in my presidency, but fear that there may be a limit to what can be accomplished in one year.”
“Doctor Strange’s ability to slow down time, because it would allow me to have enough time to put effort into all the needs of the student body within the constraint, and give me time to get to know students personally,” Culclasure said.
“The ability to be in more than one place at a time,” Hicks said. “This would be most beneficial for attending sports events, SGA meetings, and other club meetings in a time-efficient manner.”