Shockernation,

I’m a student, and, like many of you, I’ve been one for some time now. Many of you are the first in your families to take your academia this far. Many of you are traversing the seas and putting your best foot forward on foreign land. Many of you are buttressed by scholarships or part-time jobs. No matter what challenges you may face as newly made or outgoing Shockers, as a fellow student, I offer you two things: a welcome and challenge.

Welcome to the paragon of Fairmount, the place of possibility and fruition, where the classroom and real world collide. Unlike many other universities, Wichita State is not an institution that expects greatness of its students, but rather invests in the development of their withstanding greatness. At Wichita State, we the students are not the product. We are the project. We are the infrastructure, and the application of your potential is all that’s needed to succeed. At WSU, you may feel you represent your family, or your hardship, or your respective community. Be that as it may, most importantly you represent yourself, and the challenge therein is one we all share as Shockers.

I challenge you to surprise yourself. Every collegiate experience is bound to be different, and wonderfully so, but the common denominator should and always will be transformation. No matter what you seek to do, or who you are, or where you’ve come from, there is a home for you on this campus that will stretch and grow you beyond your expectations.

As your student body president, my task is not so much to lead, but rather empower your own grip on the reigns of your college experience. Apply for that scholarship. Go to that informational. Organize at that rally. Rave at that party. Wake up early to attend that Friday study group. What you have to offer and the legacy you will leave is completely dependent on the extra miles you are willing to walk.

As a fellow student, I could not be more proud of the vibrant growth of this community — this Shockernation, and I am eager to stretch and grow along with you as a result of your active presence. Allow me congratulate you in advance on your success, and endorse the new heights thereafter.

Plus Ultra,

Kenon Brinkley

WSU Student Body President