Student Senate’s executives spend long hours in their Baker University Center 305 office, but each followed different paths to Ohio University.
Nick Southall, Senate President
Nick Southall’s senate involvement was a given after being involved with student government in high school, but after some encouragement from Jesse Neader, former Senate president, it was a done deal.
Southall and Neader went to Marietta High School together, where Neader served as Student Council president while Southall was a freshman.
By the time Southall graduated, he also served as council president.
At OU, he is employed by Residential Housing as the guest-housing manager, which gives him a complimentary room in Bromley Hall for overseeing campus visitors’ needs.
As Student Senate president, Southall’s tuition is also waived.
Beyond that, Southall is studying integrated language arts education, and hopes to become a high school English teacher.
“Nick has a very subtle charisma about him,” Neader said. “(He) likes to be amongst everyone and in the crowd.”
Southall is frequently found sitting in the lobby, as opposed to his executive desk, but it might be because his area isn’t the most ample space to work.
“Fun fact: Nick’s desk is a mess,” Morton said.
His work area, though, seems to be almost fitting of the personality others see in him.
"The Nick I know, kind of offline, is a happy-go-lucky, easygoing guy … It’s kind of a ‘what you see is what you get,’” said Ryan Lombardi, vice president for Student Affairs and senate advisor.
Anna Morton, Senate Vice President
With the help of her iPhone notifications, Morton keeps on top of her OU roles as a senior studying communication studies, senate’s vice president and a Residential Housing employee.
As a Skyview Apartments building manager, Morton spends her nights holding office hours to assist residents.
“I think she is a terrific young woman and doing a lot of good stuff. She’s a really hard worker. She really wants to move the culture forward at this university and senate too,” Lombardi said.
However, Morton’s decision to even attend college was not simple.
“I did ballet for ten years … It was either, senior year of high school, are you going to stay with the company or are you going to go to college?” she said.
But OU and university life won out in the end.
As vice president of Student Senate, half of Morton’s tuition is waived.
Morton is frequently seen in different Baker offices, including the Campus Involvement Center, where Neader now works as the student organization coordinator.
“Her personality, I see it as very proactive, very take charge,” Neader said. “She tackles every issue head on.”
Austin LaForest, Senate Treasurer
LaForest always assumed he’d attend a four-year university, though where he would attend was not so clear-cut.
As the first in his immediate family to pursue a four-year college degree, LaForest said the application process—and subsequent major changes—was a learning experience for both him and his family.
“My mom and dad always pushed education above anything else,” LaForest said. “My mom was always like ‘I didn’t have the opportunity to go to college, so I’m going to give you any opportunity you want.’”
LaForest started out as a physics major, but is now studying education after a short stint as a political science major.
“(Switching to education) was the greatest decision I’ve ever made,” he said.
The self-proclaimed “shy” LaForest aspires to teach high school history, though he is already qualified to teach grades 7-12.
Half of LaForest’s tuition is waived.
At OU, LaForest serves as a campus tour guide and member of the Student Alumni Board — ways in which LaForest hopes to better the university.
“Austin is just a really good guy; I don’t know how else to describe him. He wants to do well by this place,” Lombardi said. “He just cares deeply about people.”
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