Written by Amanda Davis, staff writer
DAYTON, Tenn.–The freshmen senator elections were held from Sept. 6 to Sept. 8, 2021 and students voted for a male and female candidate of their choice to join Bryan’s Student Government Council; Jack Smith and Anna “Carisse” Arseneaux were elected.
Arseneaux, freshman Nursing major, is from Dayton, TN. She has a long history of student government involvement. She attended Rhea County Academy during her high school years where she was involved in student government. She spent her senior year as Student Body President.
Arseneaux started a job with Pioneer Food Services in the Bryan Cafeteria when she was fifteen and began to interact with the Bryan community for the first time. She continues to work in the Bryan Cafeteria and is now a student worker at the Stophel Center.
The vibrant community is what drew Arseneaux to Bryan College. She got to know the student body through conversations at her job and decided to attend Bryan. Arseneaux has a heart to help Bryan students.
She said, “I like to help people and I like people to feel welcome and feel like they’re needed. I just want to help people feel like they’re not alone.”
One of her main focuses is to help the community become stronger. Arseneaux says, “I feel like being a part of the community is an important part of being at Bryan.” She seeks to be a friend to Bryan students and advocate for everyone.
Jack Smith, a Politics & Government Major, is from Pikeville, TN and on the Bryan soccer team. He has been involved in local politics since he was a teenager and joined the Bledsoe County Young Republicans.
He volunteered to help David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler with their runoff election campaigns in Georgia from November 3, 2020 to January 4, 2021. Smith’s previous political experiences helped him as he campaigned for Bryan Freshman Senator.
Both of Smith’s parents are Bryan alumni, his sister is Audrey Smith, a current senior at Bryan, and Smith’s grandmother, Judy Olsen, worked in Student Life for many years. He seeks to be a voice for the Freshman class and encourages students to reach out and receive help when they need it. Smith says, “The best quality of Bryan College is the community, and the best quality of the community is the people that make it up. Everybody on campus brings something unique to the college.”
Student Government meetings are open to the public and take place every Sunday from 8-9 PM in the library. Arseneaux and Smith encourage people to participate in the community and seek to do what’s best for Bryan College.
Amanda Davis is a freshman communications major at Bryan College. She is a Kansas City Native and loves reading, writing, and photography.
