About Us

My name is Jake Jenson and I’m excited to be running to be your next Student Body President! I am a junior political science major with a concentration in pre-professional legal studies. I was born in Shelby, North Carolina, and spent much of my time growing up between Charlotte and Hendersonville. 

App State is a very special place for me. I fell in love with this school when I saw my first football game in the stadium with my parents in the early 2000s. Since then, I’ve always known that App State is my home.

 I have been involved in the Student Government Association since my first year at App. I’ve served as the organization’s Recruitment and Retention Officer, President of the Student Senate, and one of the leaders of the SGA’s constitutional working group. I've also spent time advocating for App State's students at the statewide level through the Association of Student Governments. I currently serve as the SGA's Chief of Staff. Over the past few years, I have spent my time advocating for safer street crossings, new sidewalks, and building the SGA's relationship with students at the Hickory Campus. Aside from SGA, I also spend my time working at Stick Boy Kitchen. Through these experiences, I have learned skills and made connections across this university that have helped me become a better advocate for students.

As Student Body President, I will work hard to make sure that the student voice is heard. Appalachian State should be a place where every student feels welcome and accepted. I believe that together, we can make this true. 

Thank you for your support and Roll 'Neers!

My name is Maureen Hammer, I am a junior political science major here at App. I was born in Pennsylvania but moved around while I was growing up. From Pennsylvania, I moved to Wisconsin which is where I found my love for the snow. I then packed up and went to Indiana, while in Indiana my parents bought an RV and for two summers my family traveled the country and visited 50 (ish) national parks and far too many state parks. Then the final stop was Raleigh, North Carolina where I learned about and fell in love with Appalachian State University. 

In my time at App, I have gotten pretty involved on campus. I started by joining our wonderful Greek life community as a sister of Alpha Delta Pi and continued to serve that community as a Panhellenic relations specialist in 2023, now I am currently serving as the Vice President of Administration and Finance for the 2024 Panhellenic executive council. Along with that, I joined the App State Student Government Association. I served as a senator my first year (56th session) and following that year I was one of the leading roles (alongside Jake and others) in the rebuild of our organization. I was voted into the position of Assembly Speaker for the 57th session of the association and this past year I have had the best time leading so many representatives and working on exec with the current Student Body President and Vice President. My experience with SGA, PHC, and holding positions on multiple executive boards make me a great candidate for Student Body Vice President. These positions have helped me build amazing connections with administration and staff across campus, and dip my toes in the many different communities that the student government advocates for. 

Appalachian State has served me in so many ways and I want to be able to serve our community to the best of my ability for my final year. I have already served the highest I can within my current positions and I would like to finish my college career representing the school I love as Student Body Vice President. I have worked on many fulfilling projects while in the SGA, two of my favorite initiatives being the reusable take out boxes in the dining halls and the free washing and drying in residence halls. While I work on many other initiatives these are two of the most recognized around campus and I hope as Vice President I am able to work on many more things for the Appalachian community.