To the extent that children mirror their parents, Svante Myrick ’09 is about what you’d expect from the offspring of Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela — an extraordinary model of compassion and moral vigor. During his first two years at Cornell, Svante has pursued an exhausting list of philanthropic endeavors, sitting on the council of the Public Service Center and the board for Raising Education Achievement Challenge. Pending Ithaca’s November elections, in which he is currently unopposed, Svante is headed for an even more impressive destination as one of the youngest black city councilmen in the history of the United States.

My only objection to spending time with Svante is that he makes me feel bad about myself. For instance, while I occasionally skip class to bolster the career of my “campus legend" in NCAA 08, Svante skips class to help tutor underprivileged middle school children who’ve been having trouble with pre-algebra. And when he’s not helping kids out, he spends his time organizing projects like a campaign to promote anti-tobacco legislation in Tompkins County. In fact, since the start of his sophomore year, Svante has spent up to eight hours a day on activities related to community service.

Given how much he provides for other people, you might expect that Svante himself has been blessed with an affluent background. But in actuality, he grew up in a single-parent home with three other siblings and few financial resources or educational opportunities. On top of that, Svante grew up as one of the only black children in a predominantly white school district. Nonetheless, his intellect and determination eventually earned him the respect of teachers and peers, and he turned what appeared to be limitations into surmountable challenges. As always, Svante is quick to deflect praise: “I owe a lot to my siblings, and even more to my mom — she always told me I’d have to be twice as good at something and work twice as hard in order to succeed. I’ve been able to carry that mindset wherever I go.”

Despite being well accustomed to difficult circumstance, Svante discovered in the fall of 2005 that life at Cornell was not as gratifying as he’d expected. “Before Cornell, college had been my goal. But when I got here I was intimidated — it was the first time I’d been around people who were so privileged. I realized how big the world was and how difficult it would be to make change.” Svante’s transition into his new community was neither swift nor smooth. In fact, that first semester, he spent the majority of his time alone in his room, wondering if he’d made the wrong decision by coming to Ithaca.

Gradually, Svante’s love for service drove him out of solitary confinement in Low-Rise 7 and into the center of Cornell’s student community. By the next school year, he had become the vice president and philanthropy chair of his fraternity as well as the vice president of university and community relations for Cornell’s Interfraternity Council. From there, Svante fostered a surprisingly intimate relationship between the Greek community and the citizens of Ithaca by organizing a number of philanthropy events and by recruiting Cornell students to participate in Ithaca’s Big Brothers/Big Sisters program.

Finally, this past April, Svante aimed for something few college students could ever imagine — a real government position in an actual municipality. In April, Svante announced that he would be running as the Democratic nominee for city councilman of Ithaca’s 4th Ward.“

I felt I’d really come to understand the needs and interests of the community,” said Svante, “and I knew that being councilman would allow me to make greater changes.” (In a sense, this would make him the mayor of Collegetown.) To the surprise of many, a few months of rigorous campaigning gave Svante a clear edge in voter preference until finally, by the end of the summer, no other prospective opponents were willing to challenge Svante’s overwhelming student support in Collegetown.

If elected City Councilman, Svante plans to rectify a slumping business district and to form a better relationship between students and non-student residents.

“I want to find a coherent urban plan by reevaluating zoning regulations in the 4th Ward. I also want to create a more unified business district — with more cooperation, I believe small businesses in college will be more fit to survive the four months of the year when there are no students.” Svante may also push to construct a Times Square-like electric signboard for the 400 block of College Ave. in order to create a sense of community and public efficiency.

In an environment geared toward personal advancement, Svante reminds us that selflessness and success are not mutually exclusive. What makes him so extraordinary is not his intelligence or even his stunning charisma (Svante is a self proclaimed “lady killer,”) but simply that he is willing to give more despite having less. When I asked Svante what he thought the three biggest problems in America are today, he answered quickly and confidently: “Public education, wealth inequality and Republicans.”

Ben Notterman is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be contacted at bnotterman@cornellsun.com. The Scorpion King appears alternate Wednesdays.