SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATE
VOLUNTEER WORK
"Put your best foot forward"
CIVIC VALUES
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST
"Talk the talk, walk the walk"
"What kind of activist would I be, if I didn't put actions behind the words I speak"
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
I come from a strong military family. I have personally seen just how much they sacrifice, in the service of our country and others. This is why I value civic engagement, so passionately. We owe EVERYTHING to our service members, we owe them our DUTIES as citizens. I have participated in events to help people get registered to vote, I have participated in exit-polling, I am a registered voter, I have completed internships, and I keep myself educated and up to date on the issues. I also, any chance I get, inspire others to do the same. There is so many ways to be civically engaged. One of my favorite experiences from interning in Senator Mike Lee's office, was being the intern over veteran's affairs. I had the opportunity to be a compassionate voice on the other end of the line. This meant the world to me. I'm sure this is not always the experience our veterans receive, but for four moths I got to be the nice voice trying to help them solve their problems. I met with WWII veterans and got to personally show them the WWII memorial. This was an emotional experience, I will never forget. Getting to shake the hands and talk with men, whose bravery is beyond words, was surreal and motivating. These men risked it all. I'll never forget the tears they shed as memories were being relived...this is why it is so important to be an engaged citizens, we owe service men and women, EVERYTHING!
Civic value is having personal ethics and values that promote civic action. It is knowing that you have a responsible as a citizen to make your community better. It is understanding your role and knowing where you can make a difference and how. It is understanding how you can realistically have a real impact in the world. One of my biggest civic values is volunteering. I do not only volunteer with my non-profit, but other non-profits as well. Each project, each non-profit, has its own unique mission and they all serve a purpose. Without volunteers ready and willing to put in the hours, those missions would go unaccomplished. Volunteering can be done in so many ways. I have developed a power-point presentation for IHC to help recruit more volunteers, I have conducted research projects for both the community and certain non-profits, I have helped a non-profit move to new a location, and participated in various service projects. As a leader in the community, I have to practice what I preach, if I want to inspire others to volunteer and help out, it starts with me.
Civic values are very important. It is crucial to understand the impact your day to day actions in life have. How I live in my day to day, not only has an impact on me, but could have an impact on others. If I try to present myself as a person who deeply cares about the environment, then I have to make sure that I convey that through my own actions. I was educated, a few years ago, about the impact that animal agriculture has on our environment. I learned how drastically I could, through only my actions, lessen my carbon footprint. I decided to stop eating meat. I share my knowledge with others. If I tried to educate people about the impact the meat industry has on the world, while also eating meat, my words would be less effective. It is the fact that I took my civic value, and I actively engage this value everyday that makes a difference. You can vote for environmentally cautious politicians, demand policy changes, participate in environmental service projects, but we must also take into account our own actions! I also really love animals :)