Matt VanZeipel '11

Reports of corporate greed and governmental missteps have dominated headlines in recent years. Matt VanZeipel hopes that one day he’ll be in a position to change that.

The second-year law student, who has aspirations of becoming a United States senator, is “very concerned about corporate and governmental power.” He says he wants to use his legal education to help “build a stronger government.”

“Lawyers are on the leading-edge of the mechanics of how our government works and runs,” he says. “They can help change and modify the system in a way that other people don’t have the power to do.”

A self-proclaimed political junkie, Matt often begins and ends his days catching up on the latest political news. He says his longtime interest in politics evolved from a persistent childhood curiosity.

“As a kid, I was always asking questions like ‘Why is the sky blue?’ Eventually, I began to ask questions like ‘Why is the government like this?’,” he says.

In his teen years, Matt was inspired by the politically-charged music of punk rock bands Bad Religion and Propagandhi. He nurtured his passion for politics by earning a degree in political science at the University of Idaho. A high-achieving undergraduate, Matt had several options for law school. But he says the University of Idaho College of Law was the logical choice for him.

“I knew I wanted to stay here, rather than become a nameless face in California,” explains Matt, who was born and raised in Idaho.

After earning his J.D. in 2011, Matt expects to practice civil law in Boise, where he plans to remain politically active and begin “climbing the political ladder.”