While the majority of Duke Democrats were found erupting in cheers and chants in Sanford on election night, Elena Botella, the president of College Democrats of North Carolina, was in Raleigh at the North Carolina Democratic Party Election Night Party! She was able to spend time with her sister (also a fellow Dukie) and her “Democratic Family”, those from across the state whom she worked with closely. No doubt she had been scrambling around all day… well more like for the past year.
This senior from Charlotte, NC, double majoring in Math and Economics, is probably one of the most well known faces at Duke. Not only is her current profile picture of her and Benjamin Mackenzie (aka bad boy Ryan Atwood #FormerO.C.Addict), but her former picture featured (2termz) President Barack Obama shaking her hand! When she was a sophomore, Duke Democrats was but a small organization, one that had to search hard for leadership to run it. Junior year, she took over, calling it a “powerful and transformative experience” in her life, and it’s been blowing up since. “Although I volunteered for the Obama campaign when I was in high school, I didn’t really see myself going into politics. But I really cared about the outcomes of politics and policy,” she said.
“I was really alarmed for what I perceived to be about basic voting logistics on Duke’s campus. There was an enormous need for first years to know that they could vote in NC, and why NC politics matters.” According to her, almost no Duke students voted in the first two weeks of 2010 early voting. More than 50% of Duke students (both Democrats and Republicans) were driven by a member of Duke Democrats.
Elena adamantly told me that one individual person who works hard could literally influence thousands of votes. There is no doubt that she was one of those people. The College Democrats of North Carolina represents all students who live in NC and who are registered voters. They may attend community colleges, colleges, or universities. The NC chapter is one representative of College Democrats of America (hence Elena’s awesomeness grants her photo ops with her boy Barack).
As president, Elena works on building relationships between NC colleges and all of the membered chapters, people within the state party, the Democratic National Committee, and serves as the public face of the organization. In serving as a liaison to the grander national organization, Elena helps coordinate activities that involve multiple chapters, such as fall break trips. She is also responsible for delegating tasks and also helps run the NC chapter political action committee that aims to help chapters fundraise. One of the largest projects this semester included fall break trips that each focus on different topics, such as feminism, mountain lovers, and an LGBT caucus. Each trip featured renowned political leaders.
“I feel really strongly that everyone has an obligation to being involved in politics by being informed of candidates and voting. I can confidently say that we are one of the most politically active campuses in the nation.” She also stressed in the importance of recognizing races that weren’t as high profile, such as state treasurer’s or county commissioners’ races. I also asked her whether she ever saw herself running for office. Elena answered with poise and elegance: “I’ll always volunteer and work on campaigns – but I don’t see myself doing it professionally. BUT, I could see myself running for elected office one day.” I better get a photo of me shaking hands with her now…
Elena was also the former president and founder of Nexus. She was very involved in the Duke Hunger Alliance, and loves playing the Ukulele. For those who are interested in politics (like myself yay), Elena gave some words of advice. “Whether it’s through journalism, lobbying, or influencing elections, people can make more headway on working at the state and local level. They make a huge difference.” She explained that she was most devastated by a few of the NC outcomes – namely the Governor’s Mansion, the NC General Assembly, and the U.S. House Races in NC. Her work was far from wasted, however. There is a lot of research suggesting that voting is an addictive behavior and that if you convince someone to vote once, they are more likely to vote again. Even though NC went red in the presidential election, she shared, “I hope my biggest legacy at Duke will be helping to create and sustain a greater “voting culture.”
So next time you run into this political mastermind on campus, be sure to shake her hand, or if you’re not that forward, give her a thanks! She has worked hard to mobilize Duke and NC voters, and deserves that and more. Elena 2028?
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