The College of Lake County’s Student Government Association–the official representative body of CLC–has now welcomed new students into the executive branch.

Elections were held towards the end of March 2021, and the results were released shortly after. Katie Dutton, a social work major at CLC, was elected as the SGA president for the 2021-2022 school year, and biology major Adeline Frederick was elected as vice president.

The two of them are all excited about working together as a team, doing whatever they can to help students and represent CLC.

Preparations for elections were a bit tricky, considering that classes were only being held virtually at the time. Dutton had to be a bit more creative in order to meet with the student body; she often visited clubs to speak to the members, and Dutton appreciated being welcomed into meetings to connect with students.

“This was important to me because I really can’t be the voice of the students if I don’t know what they want to see in their SGA. Hearing all their opinions and ideas for me as a potential president made me even more determined to become president so I could put their ideas into action and continue to listen to their voices,” Dutton said.

Dutton also decided to run for president after seeing all the work SGA has done for CLC. The projects and initiatives set forth by previous administrations have inspired her to continue in their footsteps and represent the students, and offer tremendous opportunities. Dutton is ready to make the 2021-2022 school year great by taking actions that have worked and adding some new ones.

“I [feel] that I would be able to provide an impartial voice for our diverse student body and to really make each student feel heard. Since CLC has such a wide range of students, it is important that all of them feel represented and respected, so I [feel] that I would be the best candidate for doing this,” Dutton said.

Frederick ran for similar reasons; she was also the president of her high school’s student government. She enjoyed representing the student body and acting as a bridge between students and the facility, and Frederick looks forward to doing so at CLC.

“I wanted to be a part of a club that was able to make a difference within the CLC community,” said Frederick.

So far, both Dutton and Frederick have enjoyed their time in their positions, already working towards making a change. Dutton appreciates the previous administration–particularly the former President Marilyn Lambert–to help guide her along this journey.

There is a lot to learn, and while their service has just begun, Dutton and Frederick are optimistic about the future, feeling as though the challenges will bring the entire executive branch together as a team.

Both Dutton and Frederick hope to be approachable people for CLC students – someone they can comfortably go to when an issue arises on campus. As a representative of the student body, they are willing and ready to work together.

“I want to connect with as many students as possible. I really want to stress to each student that I want to be their advocate and supporter and that I can only do this if they give me the chance to listen to them,” said Dutton.

Dutton hopes to inspire students, letting them know that their voice matters and is valid. They deserve to speak up and speak their mind.

“As each student moves into their future, I hope they take with them the idea that their voice matters and that they should always speak up,” said Dutton.

Frederick also hopes to improve the community, making CLC better and better with each decision.

“I want to rebuild SGA and take the weaknesses of the old one and improve on it. I want other students to feel comfortable joining us and helping us improve upon the community,” said Frederick.

If anyone is interested in SGA or becoming a senator, students can email questions to either [email protected] or [email protected].