A transfer student, a writer, a Gatsby fan, a “Wall-E” devotee and a Lewisburg, Tennessee native, home of the “Goats, Music and More Festival.”
Senior journalism and electronic media major Kelsey Keny is many things. But she’s also SGA President. The Daily Beacon caught up with Keny on Aug. 3 to discuss upcoming events and big plans for the school year, free hotdogs included.
Hail to the chief.
Daily Beacon: How was running for your position?
Kelsey Keny: I’m not a political person. In fact, asking people to vote for me was an awkward thing for me… It had its highs and its lows, but I think we stayed true to ourselves the whole time… We were going to be ourselves the whole way through and that’s what we always wanted people to see… I like to think that’s what lead us to win, and I’m certainly glad that process is behind us. It’s amazing to reflect on… It was an experience I will never ever forget, but we’re even more excited for the work.
DB: The election turn-out this past year was record low. What would you say to apathetic students? What would you say to students about voting?
KK: Voter turnout this year wasn’t ideal. There’s no denying that. I can’t pretend it was… We will try to do way more promotion for elections next year. But the best way we can get a better voter turnout is by doing a good job this year… I’m hoping the hard work we’re going to put in this year will yield a better turnout next year. I want people to realize it does make a difference. And I want them to hold us accountable for that.
DB: What projects/issues are you focusing on?
KK: Opt-in are the two words of summer 2014 I will never forget. We’re ready to make that final push as classes are getting ready to start… Right as the school year is starting, I think the biggest thing on our mind is the All Vol Tailgate. We’ve got it planned and reserved for the first home game…That’s something new, and it’s never been done before. We want it to be a really cool place that anyone can go to… A gathering point where we can all get together and get excited to cheer on the Vols.
I think we also want to reach out to students more, do more credible work than we ever have and keep as many students engaged as we can… We want to create more campus partnerships with other organizations this year. We met with some representatives from the Baker Center last week, and we want to do some voter registration drives, since we have elections coming up in November.
We’ll be around with welcome week and we’ll be helping with move-in day and whatnot… We’re also wanting to make some internal changes to Senate to make it more credible and effective. We want to see the best legislation come through Senate this year and we want to make sure we’re tracking where it goes.
DB: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
KK: When I was in first grade I wanted to be a singer. When I was in middle school I wanted to be a pediatrician. When I was in high school I wanted to be a Broadway actress. I’m currently settled on journalist.
DB: Why do you love UT?
KK: My favorite part of UT – kinda sappy – was being here with my brother… He just graduated in May. He’s still going to be here for law school, but I loved being in Knoxville with him.
But I also think about the amazing people I’ve met here. I don’t even want to think about my life without the people I’ve met here. And that ranges from people who are my best friends to people I’ve just worked with in class. It’s so many diverse perspectives in one place. I learn so much about the world just by being with so many unique individuals.
DB: Who is your role model?
KK: I’m really involved with the Volunteer Girls state program. It’s a citizenship program for high school junior girls. I went when I finished my junior year in high school, and I’ve gone back every year as a counselor. It’s made up of 100 staff women who change my life every time I get to work with them… They’re all my role models. I leave with so much inspiration every year.
