Meet the beautiful Kirsten Jackson! Kirsten is part of the class of 2019 and is pursuing a Political Science major with a Business Management minor. Recently, she became the National Atlanta Fellow for IGNITE! We were lucky enough for her to add us onto her busy schedule and tell us a little more about herself and IGNITE!
HC: So explain to me what exactly is IGNITE?
KJ: IGNITE is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers young women to build political ambition and encourages them to run for office in their communities.
HC: How did you get involved in the organization?
KJ: I became involved with IGNITE through a politically ambitious network I had developed in Atlanta. IGNITE’s mission captured me because it embodied changing the face of leadership which I feel very passionate about. Women are 51% of the US population but hold only 22% of elective office, I believe encouraging young women will help to shatter the glass ceiling in politics.
HC: How do you think this could benefit those interested?
KJ:
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A network of elected women leaders from across the US
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Political Leadership Development: Event Planning, Organizing, Communication, Networking, and Fundraising
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Mentoring: Informational Interviews, Goal Setting & Resume Workshops, Internships, volunteer opportunities, and jobs
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Building a community of like-minded women to support and nurture individual aspirations within Atlanta and our national network
HC: How can those interested get involved?
KJ: Contact me kirstenj@ignitenational.org! I will be on many college campuses over this next year spreading the word about IGNITE. Please come out to interest meetings and connect with those who are already involved with IGNITE.
HC: If you had to give a piece of advice to those seeking internships right now or in the future, what would it be?
KJ: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF and TAKE RISK. Often times, we talk ourselves out of a great opportunity because we start having doubts. Anything that is believable is achievable. With that being said, the mind would not conceive a thought that you could not achieve. Even if the end result is not what you wanted, learn from your mistakes and try again. Failure and success are both processes you can learn from.
Now time for the fun questions!
HC: If you could describe how this semester is going in one word, what would it be?
KJ: Interesting.
HC: What’s your guilty pleasure?
KJ: Mary Mac’s & Coffee Toffee Gelato
HC: If you were to get rid of a state in the US, which one would it be?
KJ: I don’t want to get rid of any, however, I would change the position of Florida and Hawaii so I could be closer to Hawaii. I always wanted to go there.
HC: What’s a song you can’t stop playing?
KJ: Can’t Have Everything by Drake. I literally listen to this song repeatedly every morning, because of the message. Drake is basically telling you to go achieve everything people said you couldn’t.
HC: What’s a motto you live by?
KJ: No one is you, and that’s your power.