A lot of people may think that community work and politics can go under professionalism or leadership and student involvement, but I wanted to make this a separate category because, for me, politics and community are within everything and can be distinguishable from the other categories. Politics is within our community, and by being involved in different political campaigns and progressive organizations that are political in nature, I've been able to make a lot of lifelong friendships and relationships with different people. When you're in organizing, you learn a lot about what's going on, and I always find myself not being the most educated or smartest person in the room, which is a good thing.

 

I'm always learning about something and have the ability to pass it forward. I've been involved in races where candidates have won, while in others, they have unfortunately lost. I feel that with community work, you learn that you won't always win, but you'll have your community there. They will be your support system and there to get you through the good, mundane, and hard times you'll get through it. 

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During my journey in this realm, I have found myself not only wanting to be involved in electoral politics—at least not always tied to a campaign or political party. I found the opportunity to be involved in organizations that seek to provide support and not be partisan or electoral but more people-focused going beyond what our system can currently do. I figured that learning about organizations such as these, I prefer these spaces since they allow for a more holistic, honest, and inclusive approach to handling the issues we find in our communities and coming together instead of under one political entity, person, or elected official. 

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I feel the work I've done within the community and politics has shown me that I'm not alone in wanting to make a better world for those around me. It showed—and continues to show— that I'm part of something bigger than myself.