Kansas State University students have elected Jack Ayres, junior in chemical engineering, Overland Park, as student body president.
His running mate, Olivia Baalman, junior in computer science, Wichita, will serve as student body vice president.
Ayres and Baalman will take office on April 7, when they will begin to advocate for the three themes of their campaign: “Your Degree, Your Campus, Your Voice.”
Ayres is currently speaker of the student senate for the Student Governing Association, or SGA, serving previously as its vice chair of student engagement and chair of the Special Committee on Membership. Baalman is the governing association’s health and safety director.
“Throughout our time in SGA, Olivia and I have had the opportunity to work and develop relationships with both students and administrators on campus,” Ayres said. “Through these experiences, we have built connections with those who can affect change at K-State, and we look forward to working with those individuals to accomplish all our goals.”
Ayres is a K-State Presidential Scholar and was a member of Quest Freshman Honorary, Tau Beta Pi and Omega Chi Epsilon. A member of the Student Alumni Board and Delta Chi fraternity, Ayres received the Office of Greek Affairs’ New Member of the Year award in 2015. He is a volunteer Spanish-English interpreter for the Duchesne Clinic in Kansas City, and he is a member of the praise and worship band at Valley View United Methodist Church in Overland Park. Ayres, a graduate of Blue Valley Southwest High School, is the son of Mike and Suzy Ayres.
Baalman has received the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering Scholarship and the KSU Foundation Scholarship. A member of Chi Omega sorority, she served on the sorority’s executive board. She has been a member of the Kansas State Presidential Search Committee and Women in Engineering. She was an undergraduate lab teaching assistant and has served as a Make-a-Wish volunteer. Her freshman year, she was a member of the Knowledge Discovery in Databases research group under William Hsu, associate professor of computer science. Baalman, a graduate of Maize High School, is the daughter of Sarah Baalman and Matt Gardner.
