Triton College student Juan Cervantes of Bensenville has always been interested in politics, so it meant a lot to him to serve as the president of delegation for Model Illinois Government (MIG), from March 2-5 in Springfield.  “It was a great experience,” he explained.  According to George Lam, an Economics instructor who oversees Triton’s MIG chapter, explained that MIG is “an intercollegiate Illinois government simulation.” It provides Illinois students an in-depth look and experience at how the Illinois state government works. 

Cervantes along with Triton students Jael Rodriguez (who served as a Senate Democrat) and Grzegorz Kazimierz Libera (who served as a House Republican), participated in MIG. Besides serving as president of delegation, Cervantes oversaw a team of lobbyists throughout of the simulation.  There were over 225 other student delegates that participated in this year’s simulation from multiple Illinois colleges.  Lam noted that the delegates reviewed several legislative Illinois bills to prepare for the simulation. The debates ranged from gun control policies to educational funding to tax changes. “We had a phenomenal lobbyist team this year,” Cervantes said. “I was really happy with how we performed and now our delegation performed. I learned so much.”   

Besides MIG, Cervantes is also involved in Model United Nations (Model UN), Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) and the Accounting Club. As for his future, Cervantes is graduating with an Associate of Arts in Economics degree in May 2023. He plans on attending either Boston College, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign or Illinois State University. Cervantes aspires to enter the world of finance and business and is looking to train his focus on capital markets. He also sees himself pursuing a career in politics in the future.  “I’m open to it,” he said.  

Photo Credit: Triton College