From early morning swim practices to late-night student government meetings, Nathan Halbach navigates his busy schedule and array of leadership roles with the same determination that propels him in the pool. The recently elected Student Government Association (SGA) president and Green Bay Swim and Dive Team captain represents a unique bridge between athletic and academic life at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB), a connection he’s deliberately fostering to unite a diverse campus community of over 11,000 students.
Halbach, a native of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, chose UWGB over other recruitment offers for its proximity to family and intimate campus environment. “Green Bay was the closest to home. Of the places I was looking at the smaller campus size was something I was really interested in, and I was just closer to family. That’s probably one of the biggest factors”, shared Halbach. Despite receiving interest from other Division I and Division II programs around the country, the connection to home and the campus size ultimately guided his decision, a choice that has opened an array of doors he never expected.
Halbach’s swimming journey began simply enough – his parents wanted him to be able to swim. “I started swimming because my parents wanted me to be able to swim”, said Halbach. “So it started off like that, but as time went on, I realised I really liked being in the water a lot”.
For Halbach, the discipline required by collegiate swimming has been transformative, though perhaps not in the way one might expect. Rather than defining himself solely by his athletic achievements, swimming has broadened his perspective. “Being in college swimming has not made me lose the love for my sport, but it’s made me realize the other opportunities that are out there,” explained Halbach. “It’s kind of funny, it sounds a little weird, but being in college swimming has not made me lose the love for my sport, but it’s made me realize the other opportunities that I have.” This realisation has been central to his campus involvement. “Swimming has given me so many opportunities to get active. That’s something I’m super big on”, emphasised Halbach.
He credits UWGB’s athletic department for encouraging this broader involvement beyond sports. “I think Green Bay does a great job of really pushing athletes to compete as more than just athletes. They really want to get you active,” Halbach noted, specifically mentioning the influence of Kassie Wagner, the Senior Associate AD at Green Bay.
The size of the university has been a significant factor in facilitating this involvement. “With Green Bay being a smaller school, it gives athletes an opportunity to really get active in a calmer environment,” said Halbach. This accessibility stands in contrast to larger institutions where student-athletes could feel more isolated from general campus life.
A typical Monday for Halbach reveals the extraordinary balancing act he maintains; a schedule that would exhaust many other students. Rising at 4 a.m., he begins with LSAT preparation for law school before heading to morning swim practice. “I usually wake up at four. I do some LSAT prep because I’m trying to go to law school,” detailed Halbach. “I probably study for about 45 minutes, then I head out from my house, which I live off campus. I get here probably around five. We start stretching at 5:15, start lifting at 5:30, go till 6:30, then from 6:30 to 7:30 is swim.”
The morning is just beginning as most students are still asleep. “Then from there, I usually have to take a couple of meetings, because I’m involved with Phoenix Law Society, the County Student Association, and there are a couple more out there, some committees too, like the Chancellor Medallion,” Halbach explained. His morning administrative duties continue until around 11:00 a.m. “From there, I’ll get lunch about 11:30, get to the pool at 12, get ready for practice from 12:30 to 2:30,” he continued. After afternoon practice comes study time for classes, followed by a series of evening meetings that often extend late into the night.
“Our meetings are from 5:15 to 7:00, and SAAC meetings are 7:30 to 8:30, and then I’ll finish up a little bit more with admin stuff, whatever, send emails and all that,” Halbach said. “I head home at about 10, and then it’s lights out by then. So days are pretty busy.” This busy schedule demonstrates not just Halbach’s commitment to his various roles but also his extraordinary time management skills, a necessary quality for anyone attempting to balance college athletics with campus leadership.
His decision to run for SGA president stemmed from a desire to expand his impact beyond athletics. “I saw the outreach that Karime had before me, and she wasn’t confined to one department; she was able to do a little bit of everything,” said Halbach. He credits the former SGA President, Karime Galaviz, ’s broader impact as something that inspired him to consider how he might similarly extend his influence across campus. “What I was super passionate about wasn’t just advocacy for the student-athletic department, but advocacy for every student. What are the problems going on on campus that everyone is facing? What can I do as an advocate to help bring those problems to the next level?”
The turning point in Halbach’s leadership journey came following a challenging freshman year in the pool, a time when his identity as an athlete was shaken by unexpected poor performance. A conversation with fellow Swim and Dive Team Member at the time, the late Jordan Sopjes, fundamentally shifted his perspective on what it meant to be a student-athlete. “Freshman year, I underperformed really badly. I had probably one of the worst swim seasons,” reflected Halbach. “One of my friends who actually passed away, Jordan Sopjes – I was talking to him because he kind of went through something similar. He said, ‘Who are you outside of the pool?’” This seemingly simple question struck at the core of Halbach’s identity and self-worth. “I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He’s like, ‘Who are you outside of the pool? When you’re an athlete, a lot of your self-value comes from the fact that you’re an athlete,” Halbach shared.
Jordan’s insights revealed a common challenge for collegiate athletes nearing graduation. “When people graduate, they don’t understand what the next step is. What do I do after this? I’ve been at this for 16 years,” Halbach explained, paraphrasing Jordan’s wisdom. “He said, ‘You’ve got to find something outside of the pool, something outside of swimming that you can lean on, rely on, and be a part of to make you feel and understand your calling.’”
Halbach’s journey to the SGA presidency wasn’t without challenges. Balancing campaign responsibilities with his athletic commitments required careful planning and outreach. “It was pretty hectic. I mean, obviously, you still have your obligations to swim,” said Halbach about the election process. “It was a lot more getting out on the campus. A mandatory thing that we had to do before we even got applied as candidates was to get out and get signatures from students.” A signature gathering process provided an important understanding of students’ needs. “That was something that was really cool. It made me understand a lot of things I want to do in the upcoming year,” Halbach reflected. “It wasn’t stuff I thought people needed. But when I actually asked and talked to people, it was stuff that they actually needed.”
The experience highlighted the diverse needs of the student population and challenged his preconceptions about what issues mattered most. “When you’re representing 11,000 people from different backgrounds—you’ve got commuters, you’ve got non-traditional, you’ve got traditional, athletes—you’ve got such a wide variety of student life. It’s hard to advocate for every single need,” Halbach acknowledged.
His athletic experience has prepared him for student body leadership in unexpected ways. As swim team captain, Halbach developed interpersonal skills that translate well to his presidential role, though he acknowledges the difference in scale. “I’m a captain of the swim team and everything—a little bit of a smaller scale, but it’s a lot more personable scale,” Halbach said of team leadership. “So yes, it’s not to the magnitude of student government dealing with 11,000 people, but we’ve still got a big team.”
He recognizes the increased responsibility that comes with representing the entire university. “It’s definitely been a step up realizing that I’m representing the whole university now. I mean, I go to Madison, I represent the university with all the other UW System schools. I go to San Diego, and I represent the system as their advocate.” Despite the increased scope, Halbach sees continuity between his roles. “I think a lot of stuff that I’ve taken from swim and SAAC has prepared me,” he said. “I don’t think it’s been too big of a step up. It’s just more—yes, the numbers are bigger, but the goal and the purpose of what I’m doing are similar.”
Balancing his commitments requires careful compartmentalization—a skill Halbach has refined through necessity. “I think I mentioned that in one interview, and it was more of an ‘More Than an Athlete’ video with the athletic department,” he noted. “The thing I talked about was just compartmentalizing. When I’m in the pool, I’m doing pool stuff, and when I’m in SGA, I’m doing SGA stuff.” This focused approach allows him to give appropriate attention to each responsibility. “Everything that I do has a different necessity of attention and care that I put towards it, so making sure that each of them is getting that certain level of delicacy and detail is super important,” Halbach explained.
Through his unique position straddling athletic and student government leadership, Halbach has discovered his passion for advocacy, representing those whose voices might otherwise go unheard. “I mean, I think it’s advocacy. Obviously, I’ve always realized I like helping people, I like making things happen. But I didn’t realize to what extent that was,” he reflected. His experiences shadowing local political representatives have deepened this commitment and broadened his understanding of effective advocacy. “I’ve been able to shadow some of our senators on weekends and stuff. And just kind of understanding that sometimes people don’t want big changes. They want things that are going to make their lives better, make their lives easier,” said Halbach.
When asked about the impact he hopes to make on campus, Halbach points to two key values: togetherness and transparency. “Togetherness. I think that’s the biggest thing,” he began. “I know it sounds kind of corny, but I want the exact word, transparency. I want every department to be transparent.” He illustrates this need with a concrete example of how a lack of clarity can impact student success. “I was talking to a student, and he thought the Career Fair was today, but that was the STEM one, not the business one. He was a businessman, so he missed the career fair because he thought it was a different date,” Halbach explained. “Was it clear enough? I think transparency is important for stuff like that.”
This focus on clear information connects directly to his understanding of higher education’s purpose. “I mean, we go to school to get opportunities outside of school, right? The opportunities you get, the people you meet, the jobs you have access to, that should be more valuable than how much you spend here.” This philosophy aligns with conversations he’s had with campus leadership. “I was speaking with the chancellor. He said, ‘I want the value of your degree to be worth more than what it costs.’ By doing that, you have to make things transparent. You have to give students the opportunity to get involved and make them feel like this is a place where they can do that kind of stuff.” For Halbach, creating these opportunities requires more than just student involvement. “I think that’s one of the biggest things, togetherness, creating opportunities not just for students, but faculty, staff, leadership—just bringing it more together. Unity is probably the best word.”
Halbach’s vision extends beyond the boundaries of campus to embrace the broader Green Bay community; recognizing that meaningful education includes civic engagement and community connection. “Bridging the gap between not just campus but the community, people in Green Bay, they want to work with Green Bay, but oftentimes it feels kind of separate,” he noted. “We are on campus. We’re a little bit of a trek from downtown. But there is no limit, there’s a desire for those people to come here, and there’s a desire for us to go to them. Why not create opportunities when they come out on campus?”
When reflecting on the legacy he hopes to leave after his term as SGA president, Halbach emphasizes authenticity and accessibility, wanting to be remembered not for titles or achievements, but for being approachable and genuine. “Down to earth guy,” Halbach said without hesitation. “I think that’s my biggest thing. Like, I came in this year, and I didn’t know a lot. I mean, I’m not like anyone else. I’m not better than anyone else.” This humility stems from a genuine belief in equality and service. “I don’t want to be seen as someone who thought they were better than anyone. I just want to be, I want to be seen as relatable,” Halbach explained. “The best thing is I want to be relatable in a sense where, if they have the desire to go and do it, they can do it, because they saw I was able to do it.”
He points to his own journey as evidence that passion can overcome limited experience in traditional leadership roles. “I haven’t had leadership experience in student government or student council or anything, but all I did have was a passion and the desire to make change on campus,” Halbach shared. This narrative of accessibility, that leadership positions are attainable for passionate students regardless of their background, is central to how he hopes to be remembered.
Nathan Halbach embodies the spirit of service and unity he hopes to foster across UWGB. His journey from the pool to the president’s seat demonstrates that leadership skills developed in one arena can create waves of positive change across an entire campus, especially when guided by a genuine desire to serve others and build bridges across communities. For Halbach, it’s about representing more than just a title or a team. It’s about connecting the various parts of campus life into a more cohesive, supportive whole. His dual leadership roles provide him with a unique perspective that few SGA presidents have had, understanding both the challenges faced by student-athletes and the broader needs of the general student population.
As he navigates between early morning practices and late-night meetings, between athletic competition and leadership work, Halbach carries with him the wisdom imparted by his late friend Jordan Sopjes: that we are more than any single role or identity, and that finding purpose often means looking beyond our most comfortable spaces. That commitment to growth, service, and connection drives Halbach as he works to unify a campus of 11,000 diverse students into a more cohesive community where everyone feels represented, understood, and valued.
