Meet Grace, Our First Junior Staffer aka Field Reporter!
Within the first few weeks of announcing my run for State Representative, I had parent friends reach out to me telling me how excited their kids were that I was running. I even had a friend bring a few kids come to my launch party – the two young girls wanted a chance to meet a young woman candidate. This campaign isn’t about me. It’s about them. It’s about making sure that everyone has representation.
I don’t even want to think about what my life would be like if I hadn’t had a long list of incredibly strong teachers, mentors, and adult figures who brought me along to events with them, asked me to volunteer, and treated me like my presence and voice mattered. I want to offer others a chance to see themselves in this campaign – and the State House. If we expect people to engage, we need to make sure that government is friendly and accessible.
This starts with kids like Grace, an eleven year old from Bradford, who saw my call for student staffers on social media. I spent much of my Oxbow years with her mom, Whitney, and was super excited that she was interested in helping out. Grace will be joining me on the campaign trail and will be capturing her thoughts and observations in photos and writing. She may possibly be joined by a few more kids (get in touch if you have an interested young person)! Follow the student entries under the Field Notes category of this blog!
Interview with Grace:
What are you proudest of in your life?
Grace: What I’m most proud of is how my friends at school come to me for advice, problems, or school questions and know that they can count on me as a reliable and trustworthy friend.
Why is social justice important to you?
Grace: Social justice is important to me because I believe that everyone should have equal rights and can be heard, no matter who they are. I’m passionate about standing up for others and myself against something unjust or unfair to anyone.
If you could change anything in the world, what would you change and how?
Grace: If I could change anything in the world, I would change the law so that there is free healthcare for all. I think that everyone should be able to get things like medicine, glasses, and anything else they need to be healthy and happy.
What excites you the most about helping out on a political campaign?
Grace: What excites me most about helping on a political campaign is that I will be able to write about events and things that happen and take pictures of things that are going on. I’m also excited to hear other Vermonters wants and needs and be able to learn from it.
What is your biggest dream?
Grace: My biggest dream is to get a job one day so I can help make the world safer and fairer, have more justice than it has now, and improve it so that there are equal rights for all and everyone is heard. I also love to cook and want to get better so I can compete in a competition like Chopped, Master Chef, or a baking competition!
You can read Grace’s first entry here!
Side Note to Grace: Thank you for joining the team, Grace! <3 Also, Side Note to Grace’s Parents: Thank you for letting me borrow her! <3
