Junior political science major Jack Batz is a Eagle Scout with political aspirations. As newly-elected student body president, he is determined to broaden the scope of the Student Senate and beyond.
Batz hails from Gurnee, Ill., and although he was not actively involved in his high school’s extracurriculars until his senior year, he has been active in Boy Scout Troop 72 since he was young. Boy Scouts sparked his passion for community service which culminated in his Eagle Scout project of building a gaga ball pit for the Gurnee Park District.
Being a Scout has been a major influence on his life and for the past five summers, he worked at Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan Scout Reservation, which was a major step in his leadership development.
“It certainly has influenced my character and the people I’ve been around and given me leadership positions,” Batz said. “It was a great environment to learn scout skills, people skills, and civics.”
Batz’s interest in politics stemmed from an interest in history throughout high school, specifically a civic debate course that introduced him to the political arena. As he was looking to the future, he decided that politics would be the best path to combine both service and knowledge.
“I want to do this for an actual career,” Batz said. “Be involved and help other people … I still want to be in a field where I can solely help other people.”
When Batz got to Bradley, he was unsure of where he could accomplish those goals. He ended up meeting the Student Senate at the 2020 Activities Fair. There, he decided to run for freshman senator in the upcoming election.
“I knew I wanted to do more of this kind of stuff,” Batz said.
In his freshman year’s spring semester, Batz decided to apply to the ACBU activities board. He became the Homecoming Coordinator and has since become the ACBU Vice President.
Assistant Director for Wellness and Programming Dani Schenkel has been advising Batz during his ACBU roles for the past two years. She has seen him grow in his leadership skills and service to his constituents.
“He really has taken the opportunity, in his leadership roles, to hear from his peers the ways in which he can grow to be a better leader,” Schenkel said. “Through that, he has taken the things they’ve shared with him and he has implemented them.”
Schenkel has been supportive throughout Batz’s campaign.
“He’s really challenged himself to think more about the broader student population,” Schenkel said. “Especially working on Homecoming showed him the importance of knowing the experiences of all students and reaching them where they are.”
Batz is determined to stay in contact with the student body and to hear what they want and need. This focus on his constituents will follow Batz to his aspirations of being a representative for his home district.
“My dream is representing my hometown to the biggest extent possible,” Batz said. “Being able to share what these people think to everyone else and making their lives as good as possible.”
