Late this summer, a small group of students and I arranged to support a possible 2016 election candidate for the U.S. presidency: former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. With the support of Ready for Hillary, we launched a university chapter that has quickly swelled into nearly 300 Kent State students and faculty in only a few months.

Ready for Hillary is a national grassroots effort with vast momentum. We have millions of supporters, hundreds of thousands of donors and have encouraged various elected officials — such as our very own Congressional Representative Tim Ryan — to publicly endorse Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nominee in 2016.

The Kent State University community, like the country, is ready for a Clinton presidential run. Nestled among the Rust Belt in Northeast Ohio, Hillary Clinton is an appealing candidate who can connect to the working class who may have become disillusioned by the Democratic Party. And in the battleground state of Ohio — a key stop on the road to the White House — that means an undeniably strong potential to win the election.

I support Hillary Clinton because she is an experienced and strong public servant with vast knowledge of foreign affairs and a prowess at dealing with D.C. politicians and the unstable atmosphere. She is an ardent supporter of affordable college education, women’s reproductive choice rights, LGBTQ rights and improving literacy, restructuring our health care system and fighting for working, middle class American families.

In that respect, many students, including myself, also see a vote for Hillary Clinton as a symbolic vote to shatter the glass ceiling that has prevented American women from obtaining the highest elected office in the country. While we shouldn’t vote primarily on the gender of the individual, Hillary Clinton is the inspirational candidate who I believe will encourage women across the country to run for office and challenge the status quo.

We must seek a centrist candidate who can appeal to progressives, moderates and conservatives in a way that really hasn’t been seen since the 1990s when her husband President Bill Clinton was in office. Secretary Clinton is that candidate — a woman who has the credentials and broad support to not only run and win the presidency, but continue to lead America through recovery and bridge the partisan gap that has plagued Washington D.C. for years.

As a student leader, sophomore of Kent State and resident of this great state, I implore Madame Clinton to run for president in 2016. I encourage voters across this campus and community to also become actively involved in the political process: register to vote, volunteer your time and make a difference.

Matthew Chernesky is the president of the KSU Ready for Hillary club and a sophomore political science major. Contact him at [email protected].