What sets a good leader apart from an exceptional leader is what that person does when they aren’t under the limelight — when they work hard to help others when they don’t have anything to gain from their actions. 

These people are down to earth and genuine – their heart is in their work, and they engage in public service because they care about advancing important causes.

Over the past two years as Student Body President, there have been people who come into the Illinois Student Senate looking to add fancy titles to their resume and then backbench themselves from achieving changes on campus. Collin Schumock is not one of those people. 

He has consistently demonstrated he is a set-apart leader that is dependable and passionate about the issues he works on. He uses his time and talents to help other students become change makers that in turn impact our entire campus community, and he has done this through thankless work critiquing the College of Medicine proposal, championing the Diversity General Education requirement and lending a hand on countless other projects.

Collin doesn’t pay lip service to the buzzwords of hot topics, but he understands the real issues that students face every day and deeply engages with anyone who can make a difference in ways that catalyze change. He is driven to learn about perspectives diverse from his own, and then problem solve on best solutions. 

He did this with the proposed diversity gen ed requirement, where he spent an enormous amount of time soliciting feedback and meticulously honing the proposal to best fit the entirety of campus. He believes in smart, detailed policy that encompasses the best of all perspectives.

At the student trustee debate, Collin ended in his closing comments with the proverb “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” 

Collin is in this for all of the right reasons. He’s honorable, humble and genuine. And for all of these reasons and more, I am proud to endorse him for Student Trustee. He’s the candidate we deserve.

Mitch Dickey is the current Student Body President for the Illinois Student Senate.