The fall of 2022 marked my first glimpse into the world of politics. Every street corner in my town was suddenly crowded with bold campaign signs, ranging from city council races to federal elections. While I wasn’t familiar with most of the names or positions being advertised, I was fascinated by the effort candidates poured into their campaigns. The same names that appeared on road signs often reappeared on TV, promoting visions of stronger cities and more affordable states.

Watching these commercials and seeing these signs led me to ask older people around me what they thought about the candidates. Through these conversations I realized that many were dissatisfied with the political system; some even expected to remain angry regardless of whether their preferred candidate won. As my curiosity grew, I began to wonder what motivated people to vote for one specific candidate over another. I wanted to get involved, but I had very little experience with politics and only a basic understanding of government.

That same fall also marked the beginning of another journey, my first year of high school. Seeking a challenge, I joined the school speech and debate team and was quickly immersed in a world where words carried weight, and where political opinions mattered. In one tournament I debated climate policy against a competitor from across the state, and realized how urgent and interconnected our world’s challenges truly were. Debate, which I had joined simply to practice public speaking, became something far greater: it educated me on diverse political topics and perspectives, but most importantly it gave me the courage to use my voice not just to win rounds, but to spark conversations, challenge perspectives, and take action in my community.

As my knowledge and passion grew I looked for opportunities to engage. I started by supporting local elections, going door-to-door to speak with voters. I discovered that many people felt their values were ignored by the political system. This disenfranchisement left these voters feeling left behind, as if their opinions did not matter. As a result, voter turnout was a major issue in my legislative district. In an effort to understand why the voters around me felt so unheard, I stopped proselytizing to those who answered my knock in an effort to convince them to vote and instead listened to what they needed from their representatives. This transition in strategy changed these conversations from simple exchanges into meaningful conversations, focusing more on common values and shared ground than divisions and vitriol. It was no longer taking independent actions to promote political change, it was about helping as many people make their voices heard.

I joined local organizations to deepen my knowledge and broaden my impact, and soon found myself in leadership positions in debate and my local young democrats chapters. I organized voter registration drives at my school, wrote letters encouraging people in swing states to vote, and rallied support from my peers to expand our outreach. The increased involvement of my peers in the political process proved to be both rewarding to me and the community as a whole.

Civic engagement, which once felt intangible, has become a part of who I am. I used to believe politics was just signs on street corners and names on the ballot, but now I see it as conversations and shared concerns. I learned that I didn’t need to know everything about our governmental systems to make a difference. I just needed to know the people around me. As I continue my path of advocating for change, I want to continue turning those small conversations into bigger changes.

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