Kyle Marcum is this week’s Campus Celebrity, and has every right to be. His determination, motivation, and leadership skills has continued to make a difference on Marshall’s campus. His aspirations and ideas for the political views on Marshall’s Campus and for our great state, it would not surprise us that he could very well be a fantastic lawyer or congressman one day. After you hear what he had to say, you’ll think so too.
HC: What activities are you involved in on campus?
KM: I’m the president of the Marshall University Young Democrats and before that I was a member of the Marshall chapter of Circle K, a community service organization.
HC: What’s your major? Why did you choose this major?
KM: I’m a political science major. My parents have always been political and they passed a lot of it down to me. What fascinates me most about government and politics is that it is essentially people coming together to solve problems that no one could solve alone.
HC: What motivated you to be the President of the Young Democrats?
KM: I’m not sure I would have been been motivated to get involved in politics myself if it wasn’t for the wonderful opportunity I had to work for a political campaign this year. Through that experience I met some very passionate young people whose idealism about the future mirrored my own. When I and friends from the campaign realized that there was a large group of progressive students on campus who wanted a louder voice, we made efforts to organize that community into a group. When we saw all those people in one room, ready to make a difference, it made us want to step up and bring a voice on campus for issues like a fair living wage, equal pay for women, gay rights, and addressing the student debt crisis.
HC: What improvements do you think West Virginia could be making?
KM: I think something West Virginia needs to focus on as a state is education. So many children in our state go to substandard, underfunded and sometimes failing public schools that don’t prepare them for college. Even when they succeed, the rising cost of tuition makes it more difficult to get a degree in the Mountain State. If we want to keep our best and brightest in the state before and after graduation, we need to double down on our commitment to better schools.
HC: Where do you see yourself after you graduate this May?
KM: After I graduate I’d like to attend law school. I’m very interested by civil rights law and I could see myself in a career related to that.
Her Campus would like to wish Kyle the best of luck with whatever dreams, plans, or aspirations he may have in the future.