University of Wisconsin students rallied Thursday to discuss support for New York Senator and 2008 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. UW Students for Hillary held its kickoff meeting and discussed why they believe Clinton is the most qualified candidate to become the next president. "[Clinton], as we all know, has the most experience out of all the candidates out there," Students for Hillary co-chair Pasha Sternberg said. "She knows government from her husband's governorship, from the White House and from the Senate." Sternberg said Clinton strongly supports student-related issues, including increasing Pell grants, decreasing loan interest rates and protecting student health care. Clinton, who has been a strong advocate for universal health care for more than a decade, recently won over some of her strongest critics, according to Sternberg. "Her health care is by far the best, and all of the critics she had in 1994, the vast majority of them have looked at her plan and said 'she's got it,'" Sternberg said. "This is what works." Sternberg also said Clinton has a head start on everybody else in international relations. "She knows many of the governments that we need to talk to," Sternberg said. "She's been involved in relations in the past." Students for Hillary volunteer coordinator Erica Buthmann said the organization is focusing on raising campus awareness about Hillary's issues and on the Iowa caucus. "Right now we're passing out literature, trying to get volunteers signed up so we can get our base set up," Buthmann said. Buthmann added the organization is also focusing on informing people about why Hillary "is the candidate for students." Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, who has publicly endorsed Clinton, told students she could relate to Clinton because she too was often the sole female in political situations. "I'm 56, and I've had to be the first or the only in a room my whole life, and I don't want that for the next generation," Falk said. "Whether it's my son who's 26 or my niece who's 7, and that's the kind of change we need, so that everyone has an opportunity in this country." Falk said she supports Clinton for two main reasons. "[Clinton] shares the values that I think will move the country forward on issues like health care, jobs, the environment," Falk said. "She's the most experienced of all the candidates running, and you've got to have experience to get the ball rolling." UW College Democrats vice chair Suchita Shah said her organization was not yet endorsing a specific candidate and is focusing its efforts on electing a Democrat, adding the country "is ready for change." "It's been eight long years of a painful administration, and finally students and the general country has been realizing we've been moving backwards in time," Shah said. "We need to actually take a step forward and fight for human rights, fight for students' rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, and be ready to take back the country in 2008."