By Elise Foley The Daily Northwestern

Julian Hill prides himself on being personable.

Whether sitting at Starbucks or on the third floor of Norris University Center, the Weinberg junior says hello to every person who walks by

Hill has friends in a wide variety of social circles, from mock trial to For Members Only to South Mid-Quads Hall, where he is a Community Assistant.

“I think it’s important to be approachable, accessible,” Hill said. “For me, it’s more about having that personal kind of connection than just knowing a lot of people.”

Those connections were a big part of his decision to run for Associated Student Government president, Hill said.

“I had been thinking about it for a while, but Spring Break was when I decided,” Hill said. “A lot of it had to do with different conversations I had with people who encouraged me.”

Although Hill has not been an ASG senator, he served on various committees on ASG’s behalf, he said.

“A lot of people have asked about my experience with ASG,” Hill said. “But there are a lot of different experiences that you can have to get experience with dealing with the administration, alumni and students.”

Hill said working with student groups such as FMO – NU’s black student alliance, for which he is the outgoing coordinator – made him realize that more can be done to make people feel more involved.

“Some communities feel like they’re left out in the cold,” Hill said. “It’s about finding ways to make sure their voice is being heard.”

Serving as coordinator for FMO was an important learning experience for Hill, he said.

“Not only are you representative for a certain constituency, since you are serving as the liaison between black students and the administration, but you also have to be supportive to that constituency,” Hill said.

Hill said he made it a point to attend events for other multicultural students groups – something he said he’d like to bring to ASG.

“We can be more supportive and build better connections with students,” Hill said.

Hill said he plans to bring some of FMO’s ideas to ASG if elected, such as quarterly forums for students to get more involved in ASG.

Hill made FMO “10 times stronger,” said Mark Crain, the organization’s incoming coordinator.

“He has a vision, and the vision he had for our organization was extremely extensive,” said Crain, a Weinberg sophomore.

Sam Schiller, a SESP sophomore who worked with Hill in a leadership conference, said Hill always gives people a platform to voice their concerns.

“The way he talks makes people feel like they have a role,” he said.

Hill is more focused on serving the student body than on hearing himself talk, Schiller said.

“He’s really unassuming,” Schiller said. “He’s not in it for the glory.”

Reach Elise Foley at [email protected].