Kitrina Miller was sworn in as student body president of the 62nd Session of Student Government Association Thursday. She and her running mate Michael Bearth won the election against three opposing campaigns earlier this month.

Together We Can, Miller and Bearth’s ticket, beat Isaac Rivera and Anisia Brumley’s Perpetual ticket by just 26 votes.

Bearth said he was confident he and Miller would prevail.

“I knew it would happen. It was going to be close, but I never had a doubt we’d take it,” he said.

Meet Student Body President Kitrina Miller

Hometown:

St. George, Kansas.

Siblings:

One younger sister.

In high school, she was:

In the marching band. Senior year, she was the assistant drum major and worked on the school yearbook and newspaper.

Major:

Social Work — Miller says she is passionate about women’s issues and hopes to build a career around that.

“Domestic violence is something that interests me, teen pregnancy, stuff like that. I just want to help women.”

Experience:

Miller’s experience with SGA is limited to her work in the student advocate office. It almost kept her from running.

“I didn’t know, you know, how senate meetings worked entirely, because I would only have to go once a month.”

Her advisors encouraged her to submit the application and run anyway. She asked Bearth to be her running mate, and they never looked back.

“Just because you don’t have experience doesn’t mean you can’t learn,” Miller said.

Expect to hear her talking about:

Student services. She hopes to see student support services moved to Clinton Hall once the new business school building is built.

“Knowing that there will be a place that all those services can move to and expand — I just want to be able to know that that will happen.”

Q&A

1. What’s your favorite restaurant in Wichita?

“Doo Dah Diner. I love breakfast food.”

2. What’s one thing you wish they offered on campus that isn’t in the plan right now?

“Honestly, I wish Taco Bell could come back to the RSC.”

3. What’s your sign?

Gemini.

4. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

“Definitely a night owl.”

5. Do you speak any other languages than English?

“Not fluently, but I am taking ASL (American Sign Language) class currently.”

6. If you won the lottery this summer and never had to work again, would you still return and finish school?

“I would still finish my bachelor’s and go on to grad school. After that, I would probably start up a non-profit.”

7. What was going through your head at the inauguration ceremony? How did you feel?

“I was nervous but also so excited. I was worried I was going to mess up the swearing in like I did when I swore in as student advocate last year, so making sure I didn’t do that again was the main thing going through my head.”

Meet Student Body Vice President Michael Bearth

Hometown:

Derby, Kansas

Siblings:  

He’s the third of four children

In high school, he was:

“Very shy.”

Major:

Originally, Bearth majored in art history while studying at Wichita State his first time around. After one year, he left to join the Marines. Now that he’s returned to school, he’s majoring in mechanical engineering and physics.

Experience:

A former Marine Corp battalion maintenance management chief, Bearth worked as student involvement ambassador, veteran’s senator, PAVE advisor (peer advisors for veterans education), and president of National Society of Scholars. Now, his only job is to support Miller and serve the students of WSU.

Expect to hear him talking about:

Veterans: Ways to improve veteran services, representation, and programming.

Q&A

1. What’s your favorite restaurant in Wichita?

Sakura Japanese Cuisine, on West Douglas.

2. What’s one thing you wish they offered on campus that isn’t in the plan right now?

“For everyone, I wish there was a better after-hours contact/service for student services dealing with physical and mental health.”

3. What’s your sign?

Gemini.

4. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Both.

“More so morning. I wake up and am immediately ready for the day, but at the same time, I enjoy staying up late and staring at the stars whenever I get the chance.”

5. Do you speak any other languages than English?

“Yes. French (a little), same goes for German, Spanish (can hold slow conversations), Japanese (fluent but out of practice), and a touch of sign language (would love to be fluent eventually).”

6. If you won the lottery this summer and never had to work again, would you still return and finish school?

“Yes. In addition, I would take up a few trade school courses. For what I personally want to do with my life, training and education are very important to success.”

7. What was going through your head at the inauguration ceremony? How did you feel?

“To be honest, I was thinking about the other inaugurations/appointments I have been to or through, and what it must feel like for those individuals who have just started their involvement with the Student Government Association for the first time. In the past, it has been during a shared meeting of outgoing/incoming sessions, but this time it was singling out the incoming session. For the first-time senators (and maybe some returning senators), I felt they felt like they were really joining something — not just going through the motions.”