KAYLEE WEIGEL

Student Body President Candidate

Hi y’all! My name is Kaylee Weigel and I am running for Student Body President! I am from Alexandria, MN (go cardinals!) and graduated high school in 2019. I have three sisters, two of which are also at NDSU, and I am second born (in case birth order means anything to you). I have been at NDSU for four years now and I am an accelerated master’s student, which means I’m getting both my bachelor’s and master’s degree in Microbiology! My goal in life is to eventually become a doctor, but that’s about ten years of school (and not sleeping) away. Here’s a little bit of information about me:

For graduate school, I get to do some really cool research! I design and implement mentorship programs and professional development opportunities to help increase persistence and retention of students in higher education (mostly grad students, but a few undergrads too!) This has been REALLY cool and has helped me become a better leader since I am constantly reading literature on efforts that

help improve sense of belonging, imposter syndrome, and self-efficacy. The other part of my grad school is creating new efforts to improve retention within the Microbiology program – which is kind of a slay. If you like learning about disease and microbes, you should join Micro. It’s a little germ party all the time!

I’ve also done undergraduate research on campus (if you’re interested in getting involved in undergrad research, please reach out and ask me how!) I’ve even been published in an undergraduate journal for my research with short-chain fatty acids and E. coli – which I think is pretty cool, but most of my peers think it’s boring 

Over the last four years, I’ve been pretty involved on campus: I was a floor representative for Dinan/Churchill Hall Government, the Vice President of Membership for Bison Ambassadors, the President of Junior Panhellenic (back before it was Greek Programming Board), the Executive Commissioner of External Affairs for Student Government, and the Head Delegate for NDSU at North Dakota Student Association meetings each month! I have learned A LOT about leadership, engagement, involvement, and have spread my spirit and enthusiasm at every step. I am also a very proud member of Kappa Delta and the American Medical Student Association!

This year, I have served as the student representative on the President’s Council for Retention (PCOR). I have spent the past year helping write a new teaching quality plan so faculty are using best-practice strategies in teaching and providing evidence that they are addressing student needs for individual learning! I’m currently in the process of revising the office hour policy so that it is more specific and will cater to all student needs. The PCOR has been one of my favorite service opportunities this past year because I get to advocate for all students and make a visual change on campus. I am looking forward to all of the changes that get implemented next school year and how it transforms the student experience.

I am running for Student Body President because I genuinely want to make campus a better place. A little secret about me is that I used to hate NDSU. I wanted to transfer my first three years because I didn’t think it was my home, and I felt like my voice didn’t matter. I found a way to have a voice through student government and it has completely changed my life – I realized that NDSU was where I belong. My goal is to act through YOUR voice. What you all want is what I want to accomplish. I want all students to feel like a valued and welcomed member of the NDSU community and be able to make changes based on what all students want. Plus, action is my middle name. I get things done. Unless it’s my laundry…I am notorious for never doing my laundry.

If you want to learn more about me, my journey at NDSU, or my future goals, please reach out to me! I am excited for this opportunity to run for Student Body President and I can’t wait to share my goals and make a difference at NDSU. Roll herd!