There are two kinds of leaders – ones are in it for the glory and ones who lead from the background, who advise from the sidelines and challenge us to take our passions to the next level. Eutiquio Chapa falls under the latter category.
Tiq Chapa is one of those cultured upperclassman who knows everyone and does everything on campus. From organizing campus political activities to attending MECHA meetings to hanging out in Old Union late at night, he is the quintessential Stanford student: vibrant, energetic, talented and definitely overcommitted. Tiq’s been actively involved in the ASSU since his sophomore year at Stanford and a plays a very important role in the Stanford political community. As a sophomore, he was elected Senate Chair and by his junior year advising many successful political campaigns and leading SOCC.
“I am passionate about people,” Chapa said. “I like to move people, to see change, to encourage people to make the change.” So where did this passion come from?
Raised in the small town of King City, CA Tiq and his twin brother Nick were always influenced to lead.
“My father runs a convenience store and does a lot with the community,” he explained. “My mom founded her own nonprofit to encourage art initiatives among youth in our community.” As a teenager, Tiq was not only dealing with baseball practice, SAT prep and the usual teenage craziness, he was also the face and the voice for his generation in his community.
“My brother and I encouraged kids to go to school, to be better than they could be,” Tiq said. “But that’s because our parents instilled that in us.”
Now that he is at The Farm, Tiq still focuses on the people.
“I feel as though teaching others and helping them cultivate and develop themselves into great leaders is my responsibility as a person,” he enthused. “I want to see us grow.”
As he continues to move the people, run ASSU behind the scenes and finish his degree, he continues to inspire the people around him. Tiq plans to live in the Bay Area after graduation and choose a career path that revolves around “moving people.”
“At one point in time I wanted to be a teacher because I thought that it was one of the only methods to inspire others,” Tiq said. “Being at Stanford, I have realized that you can use technology to help others as well and I am very interested in investigating that.” Whatever he decides to do, he will continue to push people to their potential.