Colby Nixon

Colby Nixon is a high school senior from northern Illinois who got into public policy through local substance abuse prevention work. That experience taught him something important: you can't fix a problem if all you know is the problem itself. Understanding the cultural context—how people interact and build community—turned out to be just as critical as understanding the policy mechanics.

Through wide-reaching advocacy work and his nonprofit that provides policy support to youth-led organizations, he's learned that good leadership isn't about knowing everything. It's about connecting with people who know better and building systems that acknowledge and build upon the status quo. Whether helping his debate team develop evidence-based arguments or working with community groups to translate their missions into legislation, he tries to focus on the outcomes over activism.

His approach emphasizes "doing civics" over talking about it: drafting bills, organizing community forums, and creating resources that help others find their footing in civic life. He works to make civic engagement more accessible across Illinois, believing that participatory democracy is something you learn by practicing, not by being lectured at. He hopes to one day run for elected office serving his home state.