GET TO KNOW NEXT YEAR’S ASG PRESIDENT

Mt. Hood’s next ASG president, winner of the election held last month, is 16-year-old Collin-Kazu Lewis – easily one of the youngest ASG presidents in school history.

Lewis, who typically goes by “Kazu,” has great ambitions for MHCC and for making it a better school for everyone, he said.

“A president not only expresses the students’ voice, but is also there for students, no matter what. We’re all (ASG) here for you,” he said.

A lot of people define others by their age… and Lewis would know. 

In a room full of young adults and one respected older person, who would one usually go to for life advice? There’s no doubt many people would choose to talk to the older person. A lot of times, young adults aren’t given the respect they deserve and are seen as naïve. Lewis has experienced this scenario at least once in his life. When first entering college, he sometimes felt he wasn’t receiving the respect he had earned, because of his age, he said.

Collin-Kazu said he understands this issue and that’s why he works on a daily basis to prove to people that he deserves the spot he has obtained as next year’s ASG President.

He doesn’t let his age define who he is as a person and appreciates those who don’t define him by that, he added. “I appreciate you putting your confidence in me; I’ll make you proud,” he said in reaction to winning the majority of students’ votes.

All of his future goals and dreams tie to his position as ASG president, Lewis explained. “In ASG, I’m learning how to become a leader,” he said. He did not know what to expect from April’s election, since this is his first year at MHCC.

“It’s hard to wrap my head around it, but it’s slowly sinking in,” he said. He is grateful for all the people he has met, the growing experience of the election, and for all of the feedback he has received from students and faculty, he said. He also enjoyed support received from his family and the current ASG team, he said.

Lewis has already surprised many with his many accomplishments, early in life. In 2018, when he was a freshman at Reynolds High School, he entered the Metro East Early College Academy (MEECA) and started early college at MHCC. He’s currently taking prerequisites to obtain an associate’s degree in pre-medicine. Once he earns both a high school diploma and his Mt. Hood degree, by 2021, he plans on going to Portland State University to finish pre-medicine and then transfer to a medical school.

His main interest is in radiology, he said. “I have always been interested in medicine. I am an adventurous person, so as soon as I learned about it, I was like, I gotta get into that.”

He also has been interested in getting politically involved within his planned career. After spending some time at a hospital, he definitely sees himself becoming the chief of a hospital,” he said.

“I don’t plan on getting into something so extreme, like Congress, just small things affecting people in the most positive way,” he said.

During an interview Lewis disclosed that he was not always as sociable as he is now, sometimes never speaking during a school day. He attributes much of his growth to his older brother, Kye (formal name, Preston-Kye).

Since his brother also attended MHCC, fellow students sometimes mistake him for Kye. Although they have a familial resemblance, Collin-Kazu said the two were opposites while growing up, but that Kye taught him how to be social.

When they have time the two enjoy exploring, taking “random day trips” to ghost towns and natural areas, Collin-Kazu said. He’s looking forward to going to one place in particular this summer.

“There’s actually this ghost town in southern Oregon called Golden. It’s like six hours away and it’s an abandoned mining town. I thought it would be fun to go down there because it’s one of the best preserved ones,” he said.

As far as his parents, they were surprised to hear that he took on the campaign for ASG president but have supported him throughout his time at the college, Lewis said. “The independence they gave me really built my character of who I am today,” adding they were happy he became involved with student government but also encouraged him to slow down and not overwork himself.

Lewis mentioned other parts of his identity, as he is half Japanese, and half Caucasian, and traveled to Japan several times while growing up to visit his mother’s side of the family.

“It’s very fun and eye-opening to see different cultures of the world,” he said. He enjoys traveling to meet people, see the landscape, and really understand the culture to expand his understanding, he said.

Megan Phelps contributed reporting for this story.