March 19, 2024

TOP DOG

Osceola graduate wins competitive election for Drake University Student Senate seat

DES MOINES – Nick Johnston of Osceola is barely old enough to vote himself in the upcoming election, but when it comes to winning tightly contested senate races, he understands how to win over voters.

Johnston, 18, recently campaigned for and won a seat on the Drake University Student Senate which is reserved for a member of the incoming freshman class. The Student Senate is comprised of 21 senators and executive directors.

He spent three days campaigning against six other Drake freshmen and waited through two days of voting before learning he had received the most votes.

“I had someone come up to me and offer to be my campaign manager for the election. I quickly found out it is unusual (at Drake) if you don’t have a campaign manager for elections like this,” Johnston said. “A lot of people come to study politics here, so they want to get involved in the elections whether it is running for office or helping people run for office by giving strategy.”

The only problem was his total was not enough for a majority, so Johnston had to campaign for two more days in a runoff election.

“It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before,” Johnston said. “Elections here at Drake ... are very professionally done. There were many rules about how the election could be ran.”

The runoff election involved two more days of campaigning. Johnston focused his attention on meeting with various student organizations and using social media to raise awareness about his campaign.

“Hearing Nick speak at a couple of the open forums for first year candidates, he is a very well-fit candidate for the position,” Student Body President Thalia Anguiano said. “He is a very humble, yet confident person, especially for being an incoming freshman.”

As First Year Senator, Johnston is the liaison between the Student Senate and the more than 700 incoming freshman about any ideas or concerns.

“No one understands the first-year experience better than someone who is in their shoes,” Anguiano said. “That way they have a voice at the table and can share the experiences we may not hear or see on a day-to-day basis.”

Johnston has weekly meetings to attend to discuss motions, allocate resources and approve new organizations. He is the chair of an interest committee for freshmen and holds office hours each week for his “constituents” to come in and ask questions.

He is studying biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology.

Experienced orator

Johnston was the only non-political science major in the Student Senate race, but his background in speech, debate and performance at Clarke Community High School helped him shine when presenting to potential voters.

“He is very personable to be around and to talk to,” said Donal May, Johnston’s high school speech coach and theatre director. “I’m sure that helped him during his campaign. He is not afraid to talk to anyone or stand in front of people and share his opinion because typically, if he has an opinion, it is something that he has researched and is pretty confident about.”

While the emphasis in studying medicine doesn’t directly translate to the political realm, Johnston credits his experience competing in extemporaneous speaking as one of the keys to his success in the race.

“I had three pillars of character to run off of: transparency, responsibility and integrity,” Johnston said. “I didn’t want to get into too many specifics because I ran on the idea that we are the first-year class; we don’t really know what we want to do yet. But, by being transparent in my doings and having conversations with the class, we will find out what we want to do and turn that into a plan of action.”

He also touted his work experience handling and dispersing funds as a way to differentiate himself from the competition during both rounds of the election.

“I always knew I wanted to come to Drake,” Johnston said. “It always just felt like the right choice because I could do more things, get more involved.”

Johnston has always had an interest in following politics but doesn’t plan on switching majors to pursue it as a career anytime soon.

“I am certainly enjoying my time in the senate so far,” Johnston said. “As far as past college, I would keep an open mind. Medicine is my primary focus right now, but that is not to say that couldn’t evolve into politics later on in life.”