Jordan Carlson
Staff Writer
Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW) Senator Kevin Milburn becomes the youngest lobbyist in Wyoming, and he plans to advocate for the students and the common citizens of Wyoming.
Kevin Milburn, age 20, became a ASUW Senator in the spring of 2019, during his freshman year at the University of Wyoming. His interest in politics however has greatly surpassed that.
“My interest in politics started when I was 10 years old. I started campaigning for Bunky Loucks, a member of the Republican Party, when I was 13 years old,” Milburn said.
He campaigned at the state legislative level through the Natrona County Republican Party in 2015 and 2016, and for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. With future plans of being a United States Senator and one day the President of the United States, Milburn said he is a politician for the people.
His philosophy is to help a fellow neighbor and wants other young people to know “you can put an age on a body, but you can never put an age on intelligence.” Even though he is young, he said it does not discredit a person’s ability to make a difference.
The purpose of a lobbyist is to make an organized attempt at influencing legislators. Milburn said his goal is to do exactly that as a representative of common citizens and students in Wyoming.
The first topic he wants to lobby for is to have more resources for scholarship education throughout the state. This includes developing a website with a list of scholarships available to Wyoming college students and high schools, informing their students on the resources already provided.
Milburn said he also wants to focus on having guidance counselors meet with students to not only go over future plans, but help students with understanding the cost of room and board, tuition and other fees associated with going to college in addition to helping them find scholarships and other financial help.
The estimated cost of attendance for incoming freshmen at UW is $21,362 for the 2020-2021 academic year for in-state students. The top Hathaway only covers $3,360 a year, leaving $18,002 for the student to pay in order to cover the rest of the academic costs.
UW does have a website listing the scholarships provided by the institution itself, however, its accessibility to apply for scholarships is only available to university students and are only advertised to students as well. It is because of the lack of resource knowledge given to Wyoming students at the high school and collegiate level that Milburn wants to focus on helping educate them.
Aside from being a lobbyist and ASUW senator, Milburn is also active in the campus’s Fraternity Sorority Life community. As a member of Alpha Sigma Phi, Milburn said he believes greek life has helped him connect with other students on campus.
“You don’t have to be in a club to be involved with your community,” Milburn said about being involved, “all you have to do is talk to people.”
He also said he believes in listening to his constituents before talking to lawmakers. Due to this, Milburn said he wants people to contact him with any questions, concerns or comments about issues with UW, or concerns as a citizen at 307-259-6778 or kevinlmilburn36@gmail.com.
“We’re all in this together and no matter the differences between us, we are all students at the University of Wyoming,” Milburn said.
