Sarah Helen Skelton, a sophomore public relations major, is now the secretary for Mississippi State University’s Student Association. Skelton received 76.68 percent of the votes on Feb. 26, with 2,081 votes being cast for her in total.
Skelton ran against one other student, Bailey Lehmann. Lehmann received 23.32 percent of the votes, with a total of 633 votes being cast for her.
Skelton is a graduate of Jackson Preparatory School. Skelton’s first experience in student government was becoming a part of the Student Association.
Skelton is involved in various clubs and organizations on campus. These include Maroon VIP, Chi Omega sorority, New Maroon Camp, Freshman Forum and the Student Association cabinet.
Before running for the secretary position on the executive council, Skelton was on the cabinet for the SA. After becoming involved in the cabinet and becoming friends with students on the executive council, she realized she wanted to help make changes on campus.
Her position as secretary will include keeping minutes, and alerting members of the SA to any changes or updates made within the association.
“I wanted to make sure I was doing it for the right reasons,” Skelton said.
Once she realized she wanted to run for executive council, she began putting a plan into action. This involved putting together a campaign team, creating her platform and talking to members of faculty.
Skelton’s campaign manager Xavier Washington, a sophomore communication major, spoke highly of the new secretary.
“I had the pleasure of serving with Sarah Helen (Skelton) on cabinet this year as one of her assistant directors (of) Freshman Forum,” Washington said. “When she asked me to be her campaign manager, I was super excited because I believe in her so much. Working with Sarah Helen (Skelton), I know that she is very goal oriented and when she sets her mind to something, she does it so truly. The sky is the limit for the amount of things I think she can accomplish.”
Her platform was based on three key topics: creating a 24-hour study space on campus, increasing campus community with outdoor seating and creating a hotline for the SA.
“I’m excited to see what the four of us who got elected can change on this campus and what we can accomplish,” Skelton said.