Student Association Election Results Announced
Published Tuesday, April 29, 2025
The Southwest Minnesota State University Student Association recently held the election for the 2025-26 academic year. The turnout was a positive display of student engagement with more than 400 students actively participating and completing ballots in the democratic process during the election window that ran from April 14-18.
The 2025-26 SMSU Student Association Executive Leaders elected by the SMSU student body are:
- Sheridyn Runs After was elected as the SMSUSA President securing 51% of the votes in a tightly contested race for the 2025-26 year. Sheridyn is in her third year at SMSU. She is a Justice Administration major from Eagle Butte, South Dakota.
- Dora Facundo secured the position of SMSUSA Vice President with 96% of the votes. Dora is also in her third year at SMSU and majoring in Justice Administration and Psychology. She is from Madelia, Minn.
- Paige Klaphake was elected the SMSUSA PR Coordinator. A second-year student, Paige is a Broadcasting and Digital Media major from Belgrade, Minn.
- The ACE Coordinator position was secured by JJ Ostenson, a first-year History/Secondary Education major from Edgemont, South Dakota.
- Shenal Alex Peries was elected as the SMSUSA Treasurer. Alex is a second-year Data Science and Finance major from Nattandiya, Sri Lanka.
In addition to the executive board, a cohort of individuals was elected by their peers to serve as Senators, advocating for the diverse interests of the SMSU student populace.
The 2025-26 SMSU Student Senators elected by the SMSU student body are:
- Megan Olsem, a second-year student from Jackson, Minn., majoring in Social Work.
- Ashlyn Altman is a first-year student from Windom, Minn., majoring in Agricultural Education.
- Asaduzzaman, a third-year student from Jessore, Bangladesh, is majoring in Computer Science.
- Ruchita Patel is a first-year student from India majoring in Finance.
- Tamima Rashid, a second-year student from Dhaka, Bangladesh, is majoring in Computer Science.
- Sujal Rao is a first-year student from India majoring in Computer Science.
- Jailah Smith, a senior from Caledonia, Minn., is majoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
- Dhruv Patel is a first-year Computer Science major from Ahmedabad, India.
- Nawaf Afrasiyab, a second-year student from Pakistan is majoring in Data Science.
- Queen-Kevwe Okiemute Ugbo is a first-year Social Work major from Nigeria via Windom, Minn.
- Syed Muhammad Hassan is a graduate student in the MBA program with a marketing concentration. He is from Marshall, Minn.
- John Haler, a first-year student from Lafayette, Minn., is majoring in Justice Administration.
- Krish Patil, a third-year student from Kolhapur, India, is majoring in Computer Science.
- James Gully, a third-year student from Marshall, Minn., is majoring in Philosophy and Political Science.
As the newly-elected officials assume their roles, the Student Association appreciates and thanks all those involved in the election process.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact one of these student leaders!
--SMSU Student Association
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