For the second time in the past two years, the names Westbrook and Mitchell will be on opposing sides of the ballot during the 2016 Texas Tech Student Government Association elections.
In 2015, Holton Westbrook and Charlie Mitchell went head-to-head for the position of SGA president. This year, both of their younger brothers, Witt Westbrook and Christopher Mitchell, are following the path to executive office.
Witt Westbrook, a junior energy commerce major, is running for the position of internal vice president as a part of the Strive campaign bloc.
Picture provided by Witt Westbrook.
Westbrook said he has been a part of SGA for three years, but decided to take the next step and run for executive office following encouragement from his big brother.
“When this position opened up, he gave me a lot of great info and great advice,” Westbrook said. “He said ‘If you ever need anything, I’ve been in this type of position before, and I can help you out.'”
As children, the Westbrook brothers were motivated by their parents to reach for success. They were involved in FFA and practiced leadership skills throughout high school.
“Holton, being the leader he is, has always always encouraged me to follow my dreams and do the things I want to do,” Witt Westbrook said. “When people ask who I look up to the most, or who I respect the most, it’s definitely him.”
Holton Westbrook, current SGA President, said Witt is not the only sibling who has learned from their many experiences together.
“If I have affected him, it’s awesome, but I’ve learned from him, too,” Holton Westbrook said. “Learning from each other’s mistakes and successes has helped both of us out in the long run.”
Christopher Mitchell, a junior chemical engineering major, is a member of the OneTech 2016 campaign bloc, running for external vice president.
Picture provided by Chris Mitchell.
Mitchell said his older brother, Charlie Mitchell, who ran for SGA president last year as a member of OneTech 2015, has been a role model in his life as well.
“I always wanted to see if I could help out more people and leave my mark on the entire university, so I looked to Charlie throughout his SGA career, and I’ve tried to learn from him,” Christopher Mitchell said.
The Mitchell brothers have always been close, according to Charlie Mitchell. They are members of the same fraternity, are both working on engineering degrees, live together and are ultimately best friends.
Charlie Mitchell said he believes Witt Westbrook and Christopher Mitchell are both hard-working people, so he was not surprised to see the little brother’s names on this year’s SGA ballot.
“I think a lot of people saw it coming,” Charlie Mitchell said. “They are both go-getters in the group of senators, so it wasn’t really a surprise to me that they both decided to run.”
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