Growing up for most of his life in the pumpkin capital of the world — otherwise known as Morton, Illinois — junior Kolton Dahms never expected to be involved in a university student government organization prior to becoming a Hawkeye.

One thing he did know, however, is that he would attend the University of Iowa and become a Hawkeye himself.

His family has a legacy at the UI. His mother graduated with a nursing degree and an M.B.A., and his father has had season tickets to football games for many years. Now, his sister is a freshman, and the two attend 24:7, a campus-ministry organization together.

“We grew up just huge Hawkeye fans. I love the university,” Dahms said. “I’ve always felt like home here, and I want every student to feel that and to feel safe, accepted, and part of a community. I’m looking to serve students so we can accomplish that.”

Dahms is on the ballot for vice president of UI Student Government on the BEACH Party slate.

Last year, he was a senator for the OPEN Party, a role encouraged by one of his friends, and he served as the head of the budget committee.

“I loved it [last year] and had a great experience,” Dahms said. “I met a lot of great student leaders that really challenged me to become an even better student leader here on campus and try to make a difference.”

On move-in day his freshman year, Dahms met Austin Bourgeois in Daum, their residence hall. The two were randomly assigned as roommates.

Bourgeois said the two instantly clicked, and they decided to live together their sophomore year and again this year.

“Kolton obviously is a driven individual, which is something I admire about him and try to emulate,” Bourgeois said. “He’s got a lot of passion toward this university. He utilizes UISG to improve this campus the best way he can.”           

During their freshman year, they wanted to get involved on campus, and found 24:7, a college-ministry group. They both decided to join and attend meetings regularly.

Bourgeois said Dahms is able to balance school, friends, and free time.

“If he has a big week coming up, he’s going to be motivated and in the books studying for his classes,” he said. “Anything outside of school work, he’s calm and laid-back.”

Along with schoolwork and UISG, business-analytics major Dahms is a founder of Business Leaders in Christ where he met Hannah Thompson almost two years ago, when an adviser at Tippie brought together a group of students to start a new Christian organization.

The planning process started in January 2014 and is now a recognized student organization in the UI and in Tippie College of Business as of the past fall semester.

He has now invited Thompson to be a senator on the BEACH Party ballot for this election.

“From the moment I met Kolton, I knew he was not just meeting in order to dream up what he wanted [Business Leaders in Christ] to be,” Thompson said. “He is one to accomplish things and see things to the end. He’s an activator. That’s one of the things that keep us together as a small and new student organization.”

Whatever the election outcome is, Dahms said, he is confident students at the UI will be in good hands, but believes in the BEACH Party.

“Regardless of who wins, I can tell you that people from the other ticket I’m very close with,” he said. “A lot of us were actually in OPEN Party last year together. And that’s kind of something that’s unique about the UISG campaign process.

"…I do think that the BEACH Party’s platform and our ideas are stronger and better-suited to benefit the university as a whole.”

UISG elections will Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Students can vote via their ISIS accounts.