What I Learned As A Political Volunteer

I used to think that anyone who did not pay attention to politics or political movements was ignorant and choosing to not care about things that affect so much of our lives. While I still wish people who “just aren’t political” would check their privilege, I can also see why someone would choose to ignore the chaotic news cycles we currently experience. It is exhausting. It seems like every day we are in crisis, our rights challenged, and human lives being increasingly viewed as expendable.

But this is also why I have chosen to not live in ignorance, at least to the best of my ability. Despite our country and all the systems it upholds being broken, the only way to fix these issues is to get involved and remain hopeful.

I entered Fordham University as a journalism major and thought my end goal was to be a fashion and lifestyle writer. But I realized that every time I went to write about pop culture trends, I ended up putting a political spin on every article. I soon found out that politics was my real interest.

After I interned at U.S. Senator Cory Booker’s office, I started to understand how much I had left to learn about the American political system and exactly what is wrong with it. It was a lot to get my head around. Last year I became the press intern for the Manhattan District Attorney, where I continue to intern remotely. I also recently became a campaign intern for New York State Senator Jen Metzger’s campaign. All these experiences taught me about criminal justice reform, the importance of grassroots organizations, and what my passion really is.

Changing our country’s political landscape is a larger than life endeavor, but the more I work with people who are so dedicated to their causes, the more inspired I am to keep working. Ideally I’d like to work on campaigns professionally, either as communications director or another leadership position where I’d get to work with politicians whose policies I genuinely support.

Being civically engaged can feel like a never ending job where you’re always met with more and more frustration. Even reading the news every morning is enough to make one feel like giving up and only ever looking at the cartoons section. But I use that anger and frustration to motivate me and turn that energy into something positive. If you’re upset about the injustices in our world, then I think you have a responsibility to do something about them. Voting is a great start.

You may not think your vote means anything and that it’s pointless to engage in a fundamentally unjust system, but it’s important to remember that political engagement is not just about you. There are people whose lives are actually at risk, and we have to speak up and act with them in mind.