All around the nation, the old building on 12345 Inwood Road is considered to be a factory for exceptional leaders. Some of the graduates take a few years before they grab a hold of the reins to make an indelible impact on their community, and some waste no time in getting started. The Class of 2010 graduate Isaac Escamilla, however, is making his impact now, and he’s making a big one; Isaac was recently elected student body president at the prestigious Vanderbilt University.
Isaac hit the ground running when he graduated from Mary Immaculate Middle School and enrolled at Jesuit, as he was incredibly active in the Jesuit community. In athletics, he played soccer for his first few years, but excelled as a runner, competing on the varsity level in both track and cross country. Isaac also was a prominent figure in the Diversity club and was even elected officer. In terms of giving back to the community, his resume was impressive: Director of Community Service, member of the Social Justice club, member of the Service Corps, retreat leader both junior and senior year, and a member of Peer Ministry. Outside of Jesuit, Isaac’s accomplishments continue including being a NASA aerospace scholar, involvement in Stanford’s leadership program his senior year, summer school teacher for Jesuit’s Magis program, and much more. Isaac was the embodiment of what it means to fulfill the profile of the grad at graduation
As his fulfilling Jesuit career was coming to a close, Isaac began to focus on which college to take his talents. At first, Isaac was set on attending an Ivy League school, like his older brother who attended Harvard. However as acceptance letters started coming in the mail, Isaac received a special letter from Nashville’s Vanderbilt University.
Now in his third year at Vanderbilt, Isaac is doing very well. He is majoring in political science and also getting a minor in corporate strategies. A seemingly odd juxtaposition, Isaac is assured that this was the right path, as this minor provided him with something more tangible that could give him more specific skills.
Early in his junior year at Vandy, Isaac decided he really wanted to impact the Commodore community by running for student body president. But the Chancellor Scholar was not satisfied with being your average president, no, Isaac wanted to be different. He describes how, “In my experience, the student government organization had been very top heavy, in the sense that decisions were made by the executive board and all the people appointed under them were told what to do.” He is seeking to change this policy. He wants to redefine the role of student government, and allow students to be more involved.
Isaac’s campaigning platforms all focused on change. One of his goals was academic transparency, which, for example, sought to improve things such as access to information when it comes to teacher evaluations. Isaac also sought improvements in campus life, such as adding more restaurants to the “Taste of Nashville”, a program where students can use “Commodore Cash” on restaurants close to the school. The Man for Others also campaigned on organizational outreach, proposing re-allocation of half of Vanderbilt Student Government (VSG’s) budget to student-led organizations and events more meaningful to students.
These proposals seem to make Isaac a shoe-in for president, but he revealed that the campaigning process was not easy. He revealed “Expectations, that was the biggest issue” despite him being, as he described, “the ultimate underdog, because no one gave me [and his running mate] any sort of shot at competing.” Isaac felt an immense amount of pressure as he had a lot of “people who really believe in [him] and [his] vision…you really don’t want to let them down.”
On March 20, 2013, Isaac Escamilla and his running mate Lucie Calderon where announced as victors of the 2013 election, defeating John Tucker Sigalos and Jessica Brunelle by a vote of 56.71% to 42.28%. This margin actually is quite a larger margin of victory at 13.43% than in years past; last year the election was decided by less than three percent.
The election proved to be historic, as Isaac became the first Hispanic, first non-Greek, and first from Dallas Jesuit to be elected to Vanderbilt Student Government. But of course the humble leader was quick to downplay those profound personal accomplishments: “I’m just lucky to be given this opportunity. I think that’s a nice recognition, but at the end of the day, those things don’t get anything done. I don’t want to be defined as the first Hispanic, or first non-Greek, or the first from Dallas Jesuit, I want to be defined as the person who really advanced the needs of students and the person who really brought together their concerns and advocated effectively for them.” However, he did explain how “I do take a lot of pride in being from Jesuit, even though there’s not a lot of people who go to Jesuit and come here and are successful. So for me this is something special, to show that people at Jesuit can really succeed. Hopefully this opens up doors for future Jesuit students in the future to have a greater opportunity to come here.”
When asked about who helped him achieve this goal of becoming VSG president, Isaac had a litany of people to thank. First and foremost, Isaac described how his faith in God really helped him persevere through the grueling campaigning process: “There are some very, very difficult moments when you think your campaign will burn through the floor. I could not get through all that without my faith in God.”
Additionally, Isaac revealed how a majority of his success came from mentors such as Father Postell, Mr. Fitzsimmons, and Mr. Ornelas, who were “very pivotal in believing in me, so that I could go and put myself out there and really do what I think was possible…But at the same time I don’t get here without Mr. Oglesby or Mr. Blackwell with their guidance in what was the best fit for me.” Isaac also realized the importance of oratory, writing, and persuasion in campaigning. “I learned how to write because of Dr. Degen. Mr. McGowan really taught me how to craft a narrative. And then Mr. McGee gave me all the tools necessary to learn how to structure something correctly.”
Those were the ‘big three’ that Isaac said really influenced him academically. Lastly, being the good Jesuit boy he is, Isaac did not forget to thank his parents. They were the most involved in Isaac’s campaign as they were always there whenever he needed to vent to someone or look to for advice.
This summer Isaac will be working in the Big Apple, New York City, for the top financial adviser to both public and private entities around the world, Morgan Stanley. But sticking true to his southern roots, Isaac still has a strong interest in returning to Texas and starting his own small business.
Back during his freshman year, Isaac was able to collaborate with his entrepreneurial professors who encouraged him to start a small business in Dallas selling flan, a delicious Mexican dessert. He sold flans to friends, former teachers, and even at various farmer’s markets. “It was very successful. I saw it as an opportunity to get into a new, emerging market. It’s something that has not been that famous when it comes to supermarkets.” Isaac is fortunate to have a lot of options on the table and he hopes to be successful after he pivots away from college.
Overall, Isaac is a very modest, and humbling young man, proud to be VSG president, but also proud to be from Jesuit. “I take a lot of pride in being from Jesuit,” he emphasized in our interview, echoing that sense of brotherhood, commitment, and integrity that Mr. Donahue ingrained into our minds that first day of freshman year. He hopes to open up the door for future Jesuit students, to bring more Men for Others up to the Nashville campus. He selflessly seeks change in his Vanderbilt community, and is doing a great job thus far.
