Hilboldt’s Road to ATO Presidency

Alpha Tau Omega at Mizzou is currently led by Zack Hilboldt, a young man from St. Louis who is the President of the fraternity. Before he joined ATO at Mizzou, Hilboldt was actually a college baseball player at Maryville University during his freshman year. Hilboldt switched gears after freshman year, because college baseball was just not lighting his fire like he thought it would: “Basically, in high school it was more relaxed where I felt I enjoyed it a lot more. And then in college it felt like a job I wasn’t getting paid for. I just honestly fell out of love of the game because it wasn’t fun like I always pictured it as a kid.” Considering that college baseball turned out to not be what was right for Zack, he had to find a new home. The obvious choice for Zack was to go to Mizzou, because that is where he felt that he would be most comfortable: “The reason I came to Mizzou is because it was the easiest transition for me. I already knew people here. I didn’t want to have to start over for the second time in two years. It was just a really easy transition.” Upon arriving at Mizzou’s campus, the next step for Zack was rushing for a fraternity. Joining a fraternity was something that Zack always had thought about, especially considering that he went to De Smet High School, which is an all-boys school. Hilboldt really enjoyed the brotherhood aspect of this high school because it allowed him to grow closer with his high school buddies. Zack mentioned, “The whole aspect of brotherhood from high school to college was one of the reasons I wanted to do it and that was a good transition for me.” Throughout the rush process, it became clear to Zack that ATO was his home: “With ATO, I knew right away from talking to the other ATO guys that I felt I was comfortable and it was a really welcoming environment.” Hilboldt joined ATO, and ever since he joined the fraternity, being an executive has been something he’s wanted to do. “It was something I always had my eye on (being an exec). I knew if I was gonna be a part of something like this, and my parents have always talked to me about this: ‘If you’re gonna be involved, be more involved. Set yourself apart from other people.’ And being President or any other position on exec gave me that opportunity to set myself apart from other people.” Quinn Trask, the Membership Educator from two years ago, advised Hilboldt to consider running for President. Hilboldt thought about it for a long time, and when the time came for elections, Zack ran unopposed for President and won. Now that Zack is President, he has some goals for ATO: “We are considered one of the top houses on campus. My goal is to keep us as one of the top houses on campus.” Hilboldt is also seeking to improve the brotherhood factor of the fraternity, and he also wants to incorporate more fundraising and social services. Overall, Zack is very happy with how the way things worked out and his journey to being the President of ATO at Mizzou: “I would not change anything or any decision that I have made”.