Ty Hobson-Powell. Name doesn’t ring a bell? Just give it a few years, it will. Instagram knows this young man as KappaAlphaTy, but Her Campus presents him as the first feature in the “Millennials Making Moves” series. Intelligent, service- oriented, and did we mention he’s a Kappa? He’s the total package, but sorry, ladies, he’s taken. Her Campus had the pleasure of sitting down with Ty to ask him some tough questions about his journey as a “millennial making political moves” and about American politics in general.
Ty’s political involvement ranges from being a community organizer with the Hillary Clinton foundation in Pennsylvania to acting as a special projects manager and curriculum developer for the office of youth programs during a three-year stint with D.C. government. When asked what was next for the young politician, he answered “In 2017, I’m just trying to figure out the next best move to make. In 2017, I want to get back to doing the things that will qualify me to occupy the positions I seek. I want to go back and finish up law school. I want to continue my community advocacy and expand #TyTalks. I’m not sure exactly what that will look like but I am hopeful.”
At only 21, Ty has already made some significant strides in politics, but we wanted to know where it all began. “I’d say I’ve been interested in politics, pretty much all of my life. When I was younger, I’d always tell my parents how I wanted to be the attorney general or the first black president.” Ty’s parents instilled in him a spirit of community advocacy at an early age. He tells us of his experiences volunteering at a homeless shelter throughout much of his childhood. “When I was younger, the southwest D.C. apartment complex that my family lived in was directly across the street from a homeless shelter. Even though my family didn’t have the most we were always at the shelter donating our time and resources.” He says he and his family kept in mind that the worst that they had was better than a lot of other people. “We are all one decision away from needing a hand up.” Ty remembers his dad always saying, reminiscing on his experience doing service alongside his dad at only four years old. “Part of my interest for politics flowed from my interest in changing the communities around me for the better.”
Becoming the president of the United States was probably a dream of every American kid at one point, but Ty’s sudden increasing interest in politics at just six years old was not motivated by an American dream, but an American nightmare. “My interest in worldly affairs dates back to 2001,” he explains, “9/11 happened when I was in the 2nd grade and for the first time, I saw this nation under attack, and it brought me to pause. Being a D.C. native, it was scary to experience my home under direct attack.”
Following 9/11, Ty would spend the rest of September 2001 browsing through Al-Jazeera & CNN trying to make sense of the political realities that brought us Al-Qaeda and consequently, the 9/11 attacks. “By the time that Thanksgiving had arrived, I was taking part in daily global affairs briefings comprised of info from respected publications across the world,” he continues.
Ty’s political interest and involvement spans over more than a decade so we wanted to know what kept him motivated, what inspired him to continue developing his political interests. “Barack Obama.” Ty considers President Barack Obama to be one of the most influential political figures in his life. “About 8 years ago, I enrolled as a Freshman at Howard University. I was only 13 years old.” He claims that he didn’t know what to expect from the whole experience but he used to hear the whispers and knew what people expected of him. Oftentimes he’d overhear classmates saying “He’s too young,” or “he’ll never make it.” “All the things that people said about me seemed to mirror the criticisms that they had about a young Barack Obama pursuing the presidency,” Ty proceeds. He describes how he watched as President Obama pushed through and fought against the odds, winning primary after primary and state after state. “When Barack Obama finally got elected, I shed a few tears. The tears were not only because of the historical gravity of his election but also because watching his story unfold helped me to reaffirm my worth at a time when I was looking for the encouragement to keep going.” Emotionally, Ty concluded, “His election showed me, a little black boy from D.C., that my dreams were as powerful as my willingness to fight to make them real.”
Although he faced much criticism being a thirteen-year old in college, we wondered of the obstacles that he faced being a twenty-one-year-old in politics. “Being a young person in any field, you’ll come across people who oppose you because they feel like you are unqualified to speak on certain things.” He talks about how there are many people who will doubt your ability because of your age, but he says, “When you are favored by God you can do all things imaginable.” Ty is a self-proclaimed firm believer in God’s favor, counting is as something that has gotten him through many obstacles. “No matter what obstacles I come across as it relates to my age,” he says, “I always remember that He has the final say over everything.”
Nevertheless, some people may have issues with millennials being involved in politics, Ty welcomes the idea. “I think millennial involvement in politics is dope. We now have so many platforms to receive information and to start a productive discourse around issues that are important to us.” He clarifies that with platforms such as social media, we, as young people, have the power to gain political traction from the comforts of our own homes. “Our Tweets and Facebook posts can be used to catalyze political revolutions!” he explains. Ty further speaks of how it is important that millennials use this power and voice to speak on issues that affect us. “These issues include the cost of higher education and the resulting student debt dilemma, juvenile justice reform, voter accessibility and other aspects of social progress,” he states.
Wrapping up the interview, we asked Ty if he were to run for president, who would be his running mate. “If I were to run for president? That’s a lot to think about. My first running mate would have to be Nia Novella Jones, my current girlfriend and hopefully my future wife. Politics often intimately involves the families and friends of those at the center of the campaigns and I would have to have her on board with making our family unit available to the world on that level before moving forward with such a venture. After getting her on board, my actual political running mate could be anyone who shares the same ideals for a greater America as I do. Anybody who believes in progress through togetherness. Anybody who believes in love over hate.”
Though Ty has already done and is continuing to do some amazing things, he says he still has a lot to work on. “To keep up with me as I figure it all out, you can follow me on Twitter @TyHobsonPowell,” he concludes.
** All pictures used in this article were provided from Ty Hobson-Powell**