After an intense campaign, Michael Parks was elected student body president for 2016-2017 term.
The runoff election concluded Wednesday afternoon, and the Elections Commission announced the results shortly thereafter. The small crowd of Parks' campaign staff who were there to support him erupted in cheers and applause.
When asked how he was feeling minutes after hearing the results, Parks said he was relieved, grateful and exhausted. He is ready to get to work appointing his cabinet and learning the ropes of being student body president.
"It's going to start with developing a team that can engage the entire campus first," Parks said, mentioning his plan to revamp the House of Delegates. "There's a lot of talented students on this campus, and we want to get them involved with what we're trying to do here with Student Government."
In addition to his large campaign staff, Parks said that he owes his success to his father, his campaign manager Jake Lauritzen and his faith.
"I'd go to war for Jake every day of the week and twice on Sunday, and he's the reason why we won," Parks said. He also described how the challenges he faced required him to take a step back and alter his approach to his religion.
One of Parks' major platform points is to involve students from every corner of campus. He hopes to leave behind programs that will benefit students in years to come.
"I'm completely thrilled to have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact at this university, for students to come, for my children to come one day," he said.
Trey Byars, Parks' competition in the runoff, said that he was proud of the support his campaign gained from the initial election to the runoff. Much of this increase is owed to his campaign staff.
"Words can't explain how much I love every single person on my campaign team," he said. "They put their heart and soul on their sleeves and worked so hard."
Byars said that he is hopeful about the upcoming student body officers and looks forward to seeing what they will accomplish.