Despite where he's worked in the past and where he works now — 1100 Gervais Street — Michael Parks laughs when asked if he sees the governor's chair in his future.
Parks served as USC's student body president for the bulk of the 2016-17 school year. Over the course of his term, he oversaw the introduction of Cockstock to the Homecoming itinerary and the addition of new student offices, including the secretary of veteran affairs, in addition to increasing emphasis on the It's On Us sexual assault awareness campaign. Now holding degrees in finance, insurance and risk management, Parks will return to USC next fall when he enters the School of Law.
In the meantime, Parks is spending his gap year in the Statehouse, doing whatever he can to make sure Gov. Henry McMaster's daily operations go smoothly. He credits his time in student government with preparing him for his job in the governor's office, especially the steady speed with which challenges are presented.
“It taught me the pace that comes with the job, and in a sense it conditioned me for it,” Parks said. “You almost think about, as an athlete has to condition themselves for the game, in a sense that’s kind of what that year was like for me, because things moved really fast.”
Looking back on his tenure as student body president, Parks believes his greatest achievement was the growth of Student Government. His proudest moments, he said, came from seeing previously uninvolved students want to become student leaders.
“In a sense you invest in their ability to give back to the student body,” Parks said of the those he saw become interested in Student Government, among whom he counted vice president Dani Goodreau and treasurer Merritt Francis. “It’s almost like an annuity that pays dividends for years and years and years to come. If they can grow and hand that growth off … that’s what we were in it for.”
Parks is not yet sure which area of law he wants to specialize in, mentioning only that he plans to keep an open mind as he studies. Nor does he know what will come after, believing it “silly” to have his life planned out so far in advance.
“You have to find that delicate balance between what you feel like God's call for in your life is, what you’re good at, and what you want to do. And certainly in that order,” Parks said.
Ultimately, he imagines that he will end up practicing law and hopes to stay active in his community.
In his years as Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Jerry Brewer was a key adviser to Student Government officers. More than anything else, he credited Parks with being able to connect “varying segments” of the student body.
“On-campus students, off-campus students, out-of-state students, in-state students, all the segments of the campus, he had relationships with,” Brewer said. “It’s one thing to be liked, but it’s one thing for people to understand your vision and understand what you want to get done and they buy into that to the degree that they can.”
Of incumbent Student Body President Ross Lordo, Parks said he believes Lordo is capable of being "the best leader of our student body that [USC has] ever had before."
"Ross has the experience, he has the credentials, he has the savvy, he has everything in his wheelhouse," Parks said. "I think he's already doing an incredible job, and I think he's just getting started."
Lordo, who served as vice president under Parks, reciprocated his predecessor's praise.
"[He] did what I think was an incredible job trying to shape the culture around not only our organization but in the role, in the office itself and the impact that it can have, not just internally, but externally," Lordo said.