Moses Lake grad fights for higher education issues

MOSES LAKE - Former Moses Lake resident Kaleb Hoffer is proving that students from small towns are capable of making pretty big changes.

Hoffer, a junior finance major at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, spent the past couple of years lobbying to protect the cost of higher education. His previous efforts in Olympia were successful in preventing financial aid cuts and increases in tuition dollars for Eastern students.

But he isn't done fighting to keep the cost of attending college low. Hoffer was elected as Eastern's 2012-2013 student body president, and plans to use his role to continue lobbying efforts on behalf of students.

"I like Eastern because you get the same education you would elsewhere, but for a lot less," said Hoffer, "That's my main motivation, and my main cause as president, to protect that for our students."

He was elected Eastern's student body president during last school year, and officially began his term in June. Hoffer received 771 votes out of 1440 student ballots cast during the school's general elections.

Hoffer said Eastern brought the second largest group of students to Olympia last year when Washington schools met with legislators to lobby for higher education issues. He said this year, he wants to double those efforts.

"We were successful in keeping cuts from happening, but this is a new budget cycle, and it's a whole new ball game," he said. "We have to show the state that we do care about our education, and tuition and aid."

Hoffer graduated from Moses Lake High School in 2007, and attended Big Bend Community College before enrolling at Eastern in 2010.

Hoffer said getting involved in student government at Eastern was a no-brainer. While at Big Bend, he served as the Honors Society president.

"It flipped a switch in me, and made me want to be more involved," said Hoffer.

During his first year at Eastern, Hoffer joined several committees, and worked with student fees and finances. He served as the school's finance vice president his second year.

Hoffer said he enjoys working in student government and fighting for causes important to him, and to his fellow students.

"I like to be involved, and I believe in the quote 'be the change you want to see in the world,'" he said. "I don't want to leave it up to someone else who may not run things the way I think they should."

Although he is currently involved in student government, Hoffer said he hasn't given too much thought to making a career out of politics.

He mainly got involved in student government to fight for the issues he believed in, he said.

"If I do ever get involved in politics, it won't be for the recognition," he said. "If I don't like things, I'm always going to want to jump in and change them for the better."

After graduation, Hoffer said he wants to work for a technology or manufacturing company. He already has some experience, he said, as he previously served as an intern accountant at JR Simplot in Moses Lake.

Hoffer also wants to eventually own his own asset management firm.