According to those close to him, 2018 Homecoming King Barrett Schock truly embodies everything it means to be “true maroon.”
Schock is from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and he is a senior biochemistry major with a pre-med concentration. Schock’s initial decision to come to Mississippi State University was unique.
“It was really random,” Schock said. “My grandmother told me and my parents to go visit because I had a cousin to come here. I have never heard of Mississippi State, and so I came and visited. I knew right away I knew that this was the place I was meant to go. It has such a family feel. Everyone’s so nice; I love the campus. We also have a great science department. I knew it was a good place for me.”
Throughout his time at MSU, Schock has been involved with many organizations. He has been a member of Sigma Chi since his freshman year. He is also a chair for Student Conduct Board and Honor Code Council, as well as an Alumni Delegates member. In addition, he is a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta and Order of Omega honor societies.
“Freshman year, I came in with the mindset that I didn’t want to have any regrets by the time I graduated from MSU, and a big part of that was getting involved, giving back to the university and not letting any opportunities pass me by,” Schock said.
Sigma Chi President Layton Little got to know Schock their freshman year through being in the same pledge class. Little and Schock have become brothers through Sigma Chi over the last four years.
According to Little, Schock is always reliable and humble.
“Barrett is an all-smiles person all the time,” Little said. “He is someone in the chapter who is a leader without a formal leadership title, and I think that’s the best way to explain it because you don’t necessarily need a title to be a leader. That’s exactly what Barrett is within the chapter. He’s someone that I can always rely on, and he’s always there to help out and volunteer to do stuff without hesitation. I really appreciate that more than anything.”
Attesting to Schock’s humbleness, Little said he was unaware Schock was running for homecoming king.
“It really does boil back to how humble he is about everything,” Little said. “I didn’t even know he was running for homecoming king until he texted me about it the day of.”
Assistant Director of Student Conduct Nick Gordon has had the opportunity to get to know Schock through the Student Conduct Board.
“He was doing a service learning class and part of their requirements was to take part in an organization and learn from it,” Gordon said. “Students volunteer to help with hearings to help enforce the code of conduct.”
According to Gordon, the students who are on the Student Conduct Board are expected to think critically, keep the community of MSU at the forefront of the decision-making process, express honesty and be punctual.
Gordon said while Schock is a person whom he has relied on in the past, he was surprised Schock wanted to run for homecoming king.
“I was somewhat shocked that he was up for homecoming king just because of how quiet and reserved he is when he is in the office,” Gordon said. “He is very respectful and says, ‘Yes ma’am, no ma’am, yes sir, no sir.’ He is a great representation of what at least the Dean of Students’ office looks for as far as a great representative of the student body.”
Senior Andrew Martin, who is president of Alumni Delegates, met Schock in spring 2018 when he applied to the Alumni Delegates.
“Barrett was one of the applicants that myself and my exec team saw as a worthy candidate,” Martin said.
Like Gordon and Little, Martin said he believes Schock is a pleasant person.
“In the short period of time that I’ve known Barrett, I’d say that Barrett is one of those guys where it doesn’t matter where you’re at on campus, you’re going to get a smile out of him and he’s going to put a smile on your face,” Martin said. “He’s such an intentional person; it’s honestly just a pleasure to be around him.”
In August, the Alumni Delegates went on an annual retreat, where Martin got to know Schock better.
“On our annual retreat is where I got to know Barrett very well this past August,” Martin said. “He is just one of those guys you can always count on. We have a lot of volunteer opportunities in Alumni Delegates, and Barrett is always going to have his hand up, and always getting involved and trying to make sure that not only is he present, but that he is intentional with everything. I really respect Barrett for who he is, not just as an Alumni Delegate, but as a student here at Mississippi State.”
While Schock is steadily involved with the organizations on campus and lends a helping hand to anyone he meets, he can also be found playing intramural games. He spends a majority of his free time playing basketball, according to Little.
“Barrett loves playing basketball,” Little said. “He absolutely loves playing it. I feel like he is always playing a game of basketball. Every time I see him, he is coming back from the Sanderson Center with a group of guys playing basketball.”
According to Schock, he plays almost every intramural sport, and his goal is to become an orthopedic surgeon.
“I’ve grown up around sports medicine, and I love athletics as well,” Schock said. “One of the main reasons I want to be a doctor is that I’ve always had this will to push others and help others become the best version of himself. After shadowing and seeing parts of the medical field, I definitely think medicine is my calling, and that is what I am meant to do. You can help people become their best in a healthy way with their medical needs and as people.”
Gordon, Little and Martin all believe Schock is well-deserving of the title Homecoming King, and said he is a great representative of the student body.
“For us to take the time to honor him on the field for one or two minutes is more than enough with how many hours he has given back to this university,” Little said.
This weekend, when Schock is not playing basketball or serving one of the many organizations he is involved with, he will be celebrating Homecoming with his peers and family. Schock said he is honored to have been selected as the 2018 Homecoming King.
“Going around meeting all of the different organizations around campus on Saturday will be a lot of fun,” Schock said. “I am very excited for the president’s dinner. I couldn’t think of a better way to end my time at MSU than as being selected by the student body to represent the university in such a special way.”