by Hannah Bundrick
As I walked up to meet John Schwirtz ’14 at the Cage, I saw a calm, cool and collected guy making casual conversation with people in his comfortable flannel, coffee mug in hand. From an observer’s standpoint, John would seem to be just a normal guy with the typical responsibilities of any college student. However, as anyone on campus knows, he has been pouring his time and energy into a bigger cause: the student government presidency.
John had always been involved with student government in high school and last year held a chair position for a Senate subcommittee on campus. However, the moment he knew he wanted to run for the SGA presidency was after a discussion with previous SGA president Jon Laven ’11. “The summer before junior year, I had talked to Jon Laven and he basically planted the idea in my head. He told me I would be good for the position and that I should think about it while I was abroad,” John said.
John spent the first semester of his junior year abroad with Term In the Middle East (TIME), a fitting experience for a political science major with a concentration in Middle Eastern studies. Although it made his inherent desire to be involved with campus activities strained, John felt his “TIME” abroad was a very rewarding and educational journey. “It was interesting getting firsthand experience with the stereotypes that are commonly associated with the Middle East by Americans. Most people think of these people as angry, poor, or fundamentalist, and while that is true for some people, I feel like there is a more nuanced picture that is hard to understand unless you immerse yourself in the culture,” he said.
During his time as a Senate subcommittee chair, John saw a need for more big picture thinking, and he made this the slogan for his campaign: “A Bold Look at the Bigger Picture.” He thought there should be more continuity in setting the groundwork for future students’ St. Olaf experience. “Wendy [Raymond, Vice President] and I want to provide the tools, resources, and planning to create continuity in SGA and essentially all student organizations,” John said, “I think a great start would be creating a better website for students that doesn’t focus entirely on alumni and donors.” In addition to maintaining environmental awareness, improving resident life policies, and nurturing leadership development in student organizations, John is looking forward to using his experience and connections to be involved in the “pulse of student life,” he said.
It is not hard to see that John has a vision for St. Olaf as the newly elected SGA president. He truly hopes to make a positive impact on the students and represent their best interests to faculty and administration. “For me, the campaign is not the endpoint,” he said. As for his plans after graduation, John hopes to delve into global politics and international relations. “It would be great to work for a consulting firm or think-tank, particularly something that focuses on global political issues in the Middle East,” said John, “or you know, marry Taylor Swift someday.”