Community Engagement: we must be what we teach in order to provide our students role models and real-life in action examples of what they are leaning in the classroom.

St. Cloud State University’s Kent Koch is a leader on and off the baseball field. And, and it turns out, he’s also a media darling.

Koch, a 23-year-old co-captain for the St. Cloud State baseball team, had no idea that when filed to run for mayor of his hometown of Loretto, population 609, that it would cause such a media storm. But that’s exactly what happened. After winning the election in November, Koch’s story has appeared in newspapers and websites as well as radio and TV across the state as well as nationally when he was interviewed on ESPN. His face has even appeared in magazine advertisements and a billboard for St. Cloud State University’s “St. Cloud Proud” campaign. When he was sworn into office on Jan. 11, media trucks swarmed into the small town.

Koch, a senior finance major, prides himself on being involved, both in his hometown and on campus. He’s worked for the city of Loretto for a number of years, plays on his hometown baseball team, the Loretto Larks, and while at St. Cloud State also served on the Student Athlete Advisory Council. And, he hopes to use his degree in finance to land a job as a financial planner.

Through it all Koch has remained himself. “I have been having fun with all the interviews,” he said. “Everyone has been really nice and I have met some great people. I never expected anything to come out of this when I filed back in August. I’ve just been taking it as it comes and enjoying.”

St. Cloud State Baseball Coach Pat Dolan has nothing but words of praise for Koch.

“Kent is just a quality young man and a leader for us both on and off the field. At first when I heard about his election to mayor of Loretto I was kind of surprised, but what a great honor for a senior in college. “I just told him when he’s elected President to remember us at Huskyland!”