Meet our campus celebrity for the week, Steven Dickherber Mizzou’s Student Association Chief of Staff! When Steven’s not busy with MSA, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family and participating in other campus activities.
Her Campus Mizzou: What is your major?
Steven Dickherber: Finance.
HCM: What is your year in school?
SD: I’m a fifth-year senior, graduating is just so mainstream!
HCM: What is your hometown?
SD: Wentzville, Missouri (Texas at heart).
HCM: How did you first get involved with MSA?
SD: Being an editor at The Maneater, MSA was a constant part of our conversation. The Editor in Chief at the time was Zach Toombs who encouraged me to become a Senator in the fall of 2011. The same semester I became a senator, Xavier Billingsley asked me to become his presidential campaign manager.
HCM: What do you do for MSA?
SD: My official job duties as the MSA Chief of Staff include managing Xavier’s schedule, creating our weekly Agendas and assisting other cabinet members, but I’ve tried to use my position for other projects, like: The More for Less Campaign, voter registration drives, advocating for students to state and city lawmakers, planning and hosting the Tobacco Tax Forum, and researching potential legislative threats and opportunities to the student body.
This semester, I worked to make Legislative Advocacy a permanent function of MSA so initiatives like More for Less won’t disappear after I graduate. The Legislative Advocacy Officer is a new cabinet position within MSA that will be responsible for making sure students and higher education are priorities in Jefferson City and Columbia.
HCM: Is there anything else you are involved in on campus? If so, what?
SD: I am the Recruitment Chair for the Delta Chi Fraternity, work as a Legislative Research Intern for the Mizzou Alumni Association, and work as a Data Miner for Alumni Spaces.
HCM: Do you have any advice for underclassmen?
SD: Happiness is a conscious decision; wake up every day knowing that you are about to have the best day of your life, then have the best day of your life. I’m going to die in about 300 years (c’mon science, catch up). What is the logical point of being unhappy for even a day of that time? There is so much time in every day to do everything, no one is busy; it’s just an illusion. Do something, and then do more. Thinking that you can’t change the world is a copout to avoid changing the world.
My favorite quote is, “Judge yourself not by what you’ve accomplished but by what you could have accomplished given your abilities.” –John Wooden
HCM: Where do you want to be in 10 years?
SD: My mom, being brilliant and all, gave me the best advice this summer in light of my current job search. “Wherever you are, be there. If you live in Montana, learn to fly fish, buy a jeep and a kayak and hike on the weekends. If you’re in Nashville, learn to like country music and line dancing. If you find yourself in Japan, learn how to make sushi and write hiragana and sing karaoke.” So, the short answer is, I don’t care where I am in 10 years. I know I’ll be happy, and I’ll love it for what it is.