Looking back a week later, the Young Democrats High School Leadership Academy was nowhere near what I imagined. And I mean that in a good way. I had an idea going into the conference of what I expected out of it: marketing, social media branding, touring, and networking. And yet, in hindsight, YDA HSLA was all of that, but immensely more. My father dragged me up at the wee hours of dawn on Thursday the 4th, catching an 8 o’clock flight at Midway. By the time I landed at Ronald Reagan at 9:30, I was unsurprisingly still asleep. As I carried my luggage toward the unknown, I was greeted by Andrew Barnhill, a state Senate contender in North Carolina. From there, I met Stavan (Atlanta), Luis (Boston), Charles (Missouri), and Stefan (Illinois). When we met the rest of HSLA at the hotel, located right by George Washington University and Watergate, I was surprised by how many of my peers were in attendance—or rather the lack thereof. While I was expecting around 30-40 attendees, the final number ended up being 23, due to the fact that the conference was postponed from the middle of June to August.
The first day’s training mostly focused on the legislative process and campaign branding. That being said, a campaign requires an opponent: and it was my duty as a Republican Senator to propose legislation in a “defense committee” to …show more content…
Not only was I able to learn valuable skills ranging the gamut from finance to Beyoncé memes as a form of political engagement, I met truly the best people and had the best time of my life. From a spontaneous karaoke party with pints of ice cream from 7/11 down the street to Metro failures, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my weekend with anyone else. I give all props to Young Democrats of America for putting on such a spectacular event even with the cancellation in June. Ms. Ensley was also an invaluable resource for us whether it was discussing campaign strategy or
The first day’s training mostly focused on the legislative process and campaign branding. That being said, a campaign requires an opponent: and it was my duty as a Republican Senator to propose legislation in a “defense committee” to …show more content…
Not only was I able to learn valuable skills ranging the gamut from finance to Beyoncé memes as a form of political engagement, I met truly the best people and had the best time of my life. From a spontaneous karaoke party with pints of ice cream from 7/11 down the street to Metro failures, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my weekend with anyone else. I give all props to Young Democrats of America for putting on such a spectacular event even with the cancellation in June. Ms. Ensley was also an invaluable resource for us whether it was discussing campaign strategy or