Sometimes the familiar is what draws you to the next stop along the road of life.

For Michael Kitowski the journey begins in Flandreau, S.D. where he was born. Kitowski spent the first four years of his life there before the family relocated to Marysville, Kan.

“It’s a smaller agricultural community of about 3,000 people,” said Kitowski, “a small town where everybody knows everybody basically.”

So when he looked at, Washburn not only was on the list but became a measuring stick of sorts.

“I want to say I was like 10 when I came [to Washburn] for Sunflower Music Festival,” said Kitowski. “I played piano when I came here and it wasn’t a competition but was a way to show you skills. So I came here and I was over in the Garvey building and I just for whatever reason just fell in love with Washburn.”

After that experience, Kitowski would measure every other school he visited against what Washburn had to offer. Some of the things that stuck out during his hunt for a school that fit him were the better residential living, the smaller school size and the ease with which to become involved in campus life. All of those things added up to Washburn ending up being the place that Kitowski felt was the place for him.

Now that he is a part of the Washburn community, Kitowski spends as much time as he can devote to his many pursuits. Among those are his love of music and piano as he spends what time he can spare playing. Beyond that, Kitowski finds he is most invigorated when involved in student organizations and concentrating on his academic major.

“Right now I’m starting to really get into my [history major],” said Kitowski. “I’m starting to get into major requirements which is fun.”

With all that drives him, Kitowski still does manage to find time for relaxation and kicking back socially.

“Probably my number one priority is Facebook,” said Kitowski jokingly. “But really it’s just anything socializing. I like to walk around and socialize with people. I try to go to the cafeteria and see if I see any of my friends there and talk.”

Looking towards the future, Kitowski sees himself finishing up school with a degree in history and then moving on to post-graduate work via law school. However, Kitowski does acknowledge that as with some college students, plans can change.  

No matter what direction he chooses he still feels that academics are the most important thing at Washburn. That is what has inspired some of the ideas which he and his running mate, presidential candidate Taylor McGown are proposing. In particular the idea of a 24-hour access Mabee Library is one that springs from Kitowski’s beliefs in the role the library can play at Washburn.

“The library is a fantastic resource that any university has,” said Kitowski. “It’s a central hub, because we are a community of learning at universities and that library can be a central hub of [the learning process].”

As he continues to look into the future of Washburn, Kitowski envisions a campus that has evolved over time and hopefully with his help, will continue to do so.

“We’ve had the Living Learning Center, the Art building and even the addition to the library is something that even improves Washburn further which helps bring it into a more modern era, which is nice.”