Associated Students of the University of Wyoming Sen. Taylor Schmick poses on the UW campus. He is driven by success and hopes to address issues that others haven't wanted to touch. (Photo: Seneca riggins)
Schmick, a senator from the College of Health Sciences, decided to join ASUW as a way to help influence things on the UW campus.
“There are a lot of ways to impact the campus as a student, but this is one of the more influential ways to impact it,” Schmick said.
Schmick said he felt encouraged to do more whenever he met success.
“I love the feeling of success, I love the feeling of doing well, and so doing well encourages me to do even better, especially in school,” he said. “I like to see myself as apretty driven person, and doing well in something makes me want to do more. Same thing goes with senate.”
Although he was involved in student government in high school, Schmick said he originally had doubts about becoming an ASUW senator.
“Honestly, when somebody first told me I should join senate, I didn’t think I could actually get elected to be a senator,” he said. “But then they kept encouraging me, and that was a big reason why I got into it.”
Schmick is serving his first year as an ASUW senator and said it was a good time to be a part of ASUW.
“I really like the direction student government is headed in, we’re really attacking issues that people haven’t wanted to touch,” Schmick said. “The smoking ban is one of them. Even the malt beverages at games, that’s another one people haven’t wanted to touch here.”
“I think it’s really cool that student government’s heading in a direction where we’re actually making an influence outside of the senate chambers,” Schmick said. “We’re not making changes just to ourselves, we’re making changes that will influence a much broader spectrum.”
Schmick, who is also on the RSO funding board, said one of his biggest goals as a senator was to interpret policy and legislation to create the most benefit for UW as a whole.
“I wouldn’t call myself a big legislation-writing senator, I like to see myself as someone who can limit the bureaucracy,” Schmick said. “I like the idea that senators have the right to interpret things and make the proper interpretations especially in instances like finance and the RSO funding board. That way we can make the right decisions and limit the amount of hoops that RSOs have to jump through to get funding.”
Schmick said he could not stress how great the UW campus was, and he said he expresses his love of the campus through his involvement in other groups.
“I’m involved in a quite a few other things,” he said. “Sigma Phi Epsilon, I’m part of that fraternity, I’m also a part of Iron Skull Junior Honorary. Obviously senate’s a huge commitment, and I’m also involved in a research lab on campus.”
Once he finishes his pre-pharmacy degree, Schmick said he wanted to continue on to pharmacy school.
“Professional school is my first goal, but I don’t really want to be in practice forever,” he said. “I’d really like to get into writing policy, working more at a state or national level.”