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BOONE – The recently-elected student body president of Appalachian State University got her start in Northampton County.

Kathryn Long, a native of Seaboard, was elected as the university’s Student Government Association (SGA) president on March 28. Her term will cover the 2024-25 school year.

Long is the daughter of Derreck and Rebecca Long of Seaboard, and the granddaughter of Rookie and Christie Long. She graduated from Northeast Academy in 2021 in a class of eight students.

Now she will be representing more than 21,000 students at the university located in Boone, NC.

According to The Appalachian – which is the university’s student-led news publication – the election of Long and her vice president running mate, Amarah Din, marks the first time two women have served in those SGA roles since the 2011-12 school year.

“We’re really excited to continue to advocate for student voices,” Long told The Appalachian in an interview after she learned the news of her election.

She and Din ran together on a campaign to encourage an increase in student engagement, and one of their core beliefs is authenticity. They told The Appalachian that they wanted to leave the university “better than they found it.”

Long is a junior majoring in communication sciences and disorders.