Joseph Owens
Haley Hodgson of Cleveland and Joseph Owens of Athens were chosen to serve in leadership positions on the CSCC Student Senate for the upcoming 2016-2017 academic year. Hodgson, a 2015 graduate of Cleveland High School, was chosen to serve as the President, while Owens, a 2015 graduate of Homelife Academy, will serve as Vice President.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” stated Hodgson. “In high school, I was in a lot of clubs, but never really held any leadership positions, so that is something I really wanted to challenge myself with in college. I was a part of SGA in high school and I had approached Coach K (Katie Willingham, CSCC Women’s Softball Coach / Student Senate Advisor) and told her that I’d like to be more involved. She told me that she thought I’d be perfect for the position and that I should pursue it.”
Hodgson said she is looking forward to trying to get the students to be more involved. “I feel like an issue that CSCC and community colleges in general struggle with is that often times people see this as their stepping stone—they know that they are only going to be here for two years so they choose to not get involved. I feel like there is so much more that people could accomplish these first two years than just getting their school work done. People miss out on so much when they just wish these two years away! I’d love to see the students more excited about being here and getting them involved in athletics and other fun things. CSCC has so much to offer—I want them to really feel a part of the college!”
Owens said, “I found out about this opportunity from Shadia Suarez, the former Student Senate President. She made the announcement in a Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) meeting that they were looking for people to run for Student Senate office, and I thought this sounded like a lot of fun. I’m really looking forward to being involved in everything going on across campus. I really like it at CSCC. These are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met working at this college.”
Dr. Michael Stokes, Vice President for Student Services, said, “I am excited about working with Haley and Joseph this year. They have the enthusiasm and passion for working to create new opportunities for students to be involved in all aspects of the college. We are all looking forward to a great year with Student Senate as we celebrate the college's 50th anniversary.”
This is not the first time Hodgson and Owens have chosen to become involved in their campus community. Hodgson currently serves as a Student Ambassador and is a member of the Women’s Softball Team as well as PTK. She volunteers for ARK of Cleveland, conducts softball camps and also volunteers for the Day of Change for the Ronald McDonald House. After CSCC, Hodgson plans to transfer to either Carson Newman or East Tennessee State University where she will major in Elementary Education. She is the daughter of Pam and Neil Hodgson of Cleveland.
Owens is currently involved in PTK, CAD Club and Multimedia Club at CSCC. He is also an Eagle Scout and is heavily involved in the Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scout Honor Society. After CSCC, Owens plans to transfer to either Georgia Tech or Vanderbilt where he will major in Electrical Engineering. He is the son of Jeff and Jennifer Owens of Athens.
Haley Hodgson