Billy Trout is a second year accounting major and “Grey’s Anatomy” enthusiast from Basehor. He’s getting a minor in leadership studies. Many freshmen Collegiettes™ on the Hill know him as the cute guy who works the front desk in Hashinger. Sorry ladies, he’s taken! Though we may never see his name up in lights, he is still definitely worthy of a KU celeb title! What makes Billy a real KU celeb is his pride in our school and his commitment to this great country. Billy is sure to do great things here at KU and even greater things for America once his time here is up.
Billy is currently a Cadet in KU Army ROTC and hopes to be an Active Duty Army Officer once he has earned his degree. For now, he is the MSII Class Representative. I know, I had no clue what that meant either. As Billy explained, “Basically what I do consists of sharing current events that I think are applicable, as well as any additional training I believe could benefit my class as a whole. I also work with our Military Science Instructor to see how we can improve the organization as a whole.”
When I asked Billy to describe himself in three words, he only had to think for a moment before replying, “easygoing, tenacious and wondrous.” Although his final self-description may come off as a bit cocky, he definitely does more than talk the talk. Billy received early admission to the KU School of Business due to his stellar high school GPA and test scores, allowing him to bypass the competitive admission process. In addition, Billy not only involves himself with several different organizations, but he also immerses himself in them.
“My goal with any organization I am involved in is to improve the organization while improving myself,” Billy said. “Overall, I just want to be the best version of myself possible.”
He seems like he is on the right track!
Billy is a proud Jayhawk through and through. When asked why he chose KU, his face lit up and he said, “Nothing beats the culture of KU. I love the diversity you find on campus … I have had the privilege to interact with people of all kinds of backgrounds, cultures, races, gender identities, everything. There’s only one Jayhawk!” Billy explained that his KU experience is unique in that he gets to interact with a wide variety of people everyday through his various commitments.
Beyond the military, Billy does not have a concrete vision for the future, though he did say he would like to go to law school at some point. One thing is for sure: this Jayhawk is going to make a difference.