BY KAHLA STATEMA | the Statesman In just the past five years, UMD alumni Zack Filipovich has gone from being the vice president of finance and administration for Student Association to the youngest elected Duluth city council president.
Filipovich graduated from UMD in the spring of 2012 with a major in accounting and a double minor in political science and marketing. Only a year after establishing his alumni status, Filipovich made the choice to run for city council at-large.
“I was a treasurer for Dan Hartman at the time,” Filipovich said. “I ran for city council in his position.”
According to Filipovich, running for Duluth city council president was last-minute.
“The vice president usually gets reelected, which was Jennifer Julsrud. But she didn’t run for this campaign,” Filipovich said.
After his one-year term as president, Filipovich will then go back to the council.
So what was life like for Filipovich when he was still an undergraduate at UMD? Filipovich claims that he didn’t exactly live up to the average college lifestyle, but there are still moments that stand out to him today.
Five Fun Facts about Filipovich
- It’s never too late, right? Filipovich sure thought so during his senior year. One day while he was in a marketing class, he made a point to quit procrastinating.
- On his first day at UMD, the professor of his 8 a.m. philosophy class made it very clear that they were no longer in high school. Filipovich remembers his professor saying, “This is the real deal and you need to take this seriously.”
- During his sophomore year, Filipovich and a friend of his were arguing about how and why the United States won the Cold War. Another student that overheard the argument approached Filipovich and said, “Your argument is better.” That is the day he learned presentation is important, which is a lesson that he still follows today. He’s dressed in business casual every day since high school.
- He was Greek Life’s first Man of the Year in 2011.
- He won the Sieur Du Luth Award his senior year to honor his service of three years or more to student organizations, the university and community.