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East Stroudsburg Univeristy's New SGA President Aiming to Inspire Next Generation of Student Leaders

by E. Richardson

East Stroudsburg, PA (10/04/2024) — In a four-year span in the Student Government Association (SGA) that saw her rise from student senator to current president, senior Krissy Sprankle found a community of mentors that fueled her growth. Her term now underway, Sprankle has committed herself to providing the same support to the next generation of ESU student leaders.

Sprankle, a mathematics major with a concentration in finance and a minor in business management from York, Pa., said her time in SGA not only gave her something to work towards in addition to her academics, it also provided a sense of purpose.

"I was able to find my community in student government," Sprankle said. "That's what kept me engaged all these years because I got involved, I found my people, and I knew I was valued."

Comprised of 45 student senators and a 12-member executive board that oversees committees on University-related topics like enrollment management, diversity and inclusion, student affairs and public relations, SGA has a variety of causes and interests students can immerse themselves in, Sprankle said.

"There's really something for everyone," she said.

Sprankle joined SGA as a student senator during her freshman year in 2021 and was soon elevated to secretary of the executive board.

Looking to tie her major to her work in SGA, she served as chair of the finance committee during her sophomore and junior years, where she oversaw nearly $2 million in funding to clubs and organizations.

Managing a significant allocation gave her transferrable career experience and helped her gain an understanding of fiscal responsibility, qualities that helped her during an internship this past summer at McConkey Insurance & Benefits, an insurance broker in York.

It also illustrated the important role SGA plays in the operations of other clubs and organizations.

"It really helped me get engrained in ESU's club culture because I was meeting so many people who were seeking funds for their group, and I could see the direct impact my committee was having on them," she said.

At the same time, fellow SGA members were having an impact on her. Upperclassmen in the organization took her under their wing, sharing their own experiences, advice and the lessons they learned in SGA, Sprankle said.

Paying that mentorship forward was what inspired Sprankle to mount her campaign for Student Government Association president for the 2024-25 academic year.

"I felt like it was my turn to become that mentor for the next generation of SGA and the next generation of students at ESU," she said.

As such, Sprankle has made it a priority to work closely with her executive board, committee chairs and other SGA members to ensure they have the tools to accomplish their goals.

Sprankle said her official duties as president, like meeting with administrators to share the perspective of the student body and representing ESU students at events, helped sharpen her interpersonal skills. And since many of those events require her to offer remarks, she has also become a more polished public speaker - qualities that make SGA an ideal organization to develop those skills.

"You can get involved and find something that's for you, where you're not only benefiting yourself but the greater ESU community," she said.

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