A crowd gathered outside of Lee Hall awaiting the Mississippi State University Student Association election results.
Anticipation bubbled over as the winners were announced, and tears of joy ran a river as MSU falls under new leadership. Two close friends held each other tight, celebrating the victory and their future.
On Feb. 21, Ellie Herndon and Jodee Crane became president and vice president, respectively, of the Student Association.
They ran together in the first election season using the new ticket system SA recently established.
President Herndon, a junior supply chain logistics and management double major from Gulfport, grew up as an Ole Miss fan. She never thought she would attend MSU, let alone lead its student body.
She described why she traded in her Hotty Toddy T-shirts for Hail State gear, crediting both the College of Business and the university’s uniqueness for her decision to attend.
“I originally started off in the international business program,” Herndon said. “… I fell in love with what the College of Business had to offer and thought Mississippi State was really special that I never got to see growing up.”
The duo met early in their college careers but only recently realized their similar visions to lead the university.
Vice President Crane, a junior political science major from Meridian, spoke of the duo’s serendipitous partnership.
“We’ve run similar paths … like we were on parallel lines, and then all of the sudden we realized we were the perfect running mates for each other,” Crane said. “We didn’t do it because we were best friends; we did it because we saw a lot in each other.”  
Herndon and Crane’s bond was strengthened through shared involvement opportunities, including the Student Association and Alumni Delegates.
Robby Skelton, a junior international business major from Collierville, Tennessee, became close friends with Herndon and Crane through Alumni Delegates and joined their core campaign team.
Skelton mentioned a trait Herndon and Crane possess that makes them equipped for the job.
“Whether it’s their experience in previous SA positions, their intelligence or their outgoing personalities, none of it compares to their intentionality,” Skelton said.
Growing up, neither Herndon nor Crane saw their future selves in the president and vice president roles. However, various opportunities, a parent, a mentor and a Reese Witherspoon character inspired them.
Herndon took advantage of leadership roles in the Gulfport community but gave main credit to her late mother for shaping her into the woman she is today.
“My mom is most definitely my role model,” Herndon said. “She passed away when I was in middle school, and I look up to her and her legacy that she left. And although she’s not here … I’m really inspired by her and hope I’m making her proud.”
Crane said her role model was Grace Troutman, current SA President Pro Tempore, because of Troutman’s dignity that demanded respect from everyone she knew. She said she valued her friendship and support during the campaign.
When Crane was younger, fictitious Elle Woods ignited a flame within her.
“I will never forget the first time I watched ‘Legally Blonde’ and saw this cute little blonde girl who liked pink who proved everyone wrong,” Crane said. “She was more than meets the eye, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s so me!’”
Now as women in powerful positions, Herndon and Crane said they wanted to use their platform to encourage and support women at MSU.
Herndon said she had great respect for her male predecessors and is grateful for the opportunity to fill their shoes as president.
“The entire time I’ve been in college there’ve been men that have been student body presidents,” Herndon said. “I personally have not felt diminished as a woman in a leadership position through SA, but rather so uplifted and encouraged.”
Crane agreed and reminisced on the relationships MSU gave her and the community that surrounded them. Though, she said she was anxious in the early stages of the campaign.
“One of my earliest fears was people would see the names Ellie and Jodee and…think our campaign was too girly or our pictures were too cute,” Crane said. “I really didn’t feel that because … we’ve forged relationships and connections with people and proven ourselves in a lot of ways.”
The duo used “Uplift, Uphold and Understand” as buzzwords for their campaign.
Their first platform point, Uplift, involves engaging students through partnering with organizations and Student Support Services. They also seek to bridge the gap between the students and all branches of the Student Association.
For their second platform point, Uphold, Herndon and Crane seek to research and revisit old Senate legislation that never went through. They also hope to streamline websites like Cowbell Connect and MaroonU to keep students in the know about events and resources.
The final platform point, Understand, recognizes there is always room for improvement within the Student Association both internally and externally. The duo said they aim to educate every student about the value of SA and how they can be involved.
Outgoing SA president Kennedy Guest described his eagerness for Herdon and Crane’s leadership.
“I know that Jodee and Ellie are going to hit the ground running and make a difference from day one,” said Guest. “They are qualified, kind and professional in all that they do. I cannot wait to see the Herndon Administration in action.”