Her Campus has opened many doors for me to have amazing opportunities. One of these opportunities was attending Elect Her. Elect Her was an incredible experience. I spent the beginning part of the day hearing from 20 incredible women and the host and founder of Her Campus, Stephanie Kaplan Lewis. The speakers ranged from Congresswomen to Senators, to State Representatives, and more. All of these powerful women worked with the 120 college age women that were selected to attend this program. They spoke to us, motivating us to not only vote, but to run for office.
Delegate and Candidate for Governor of Virginia Jennifer Carroll Foy said that we need our laws written by women. She is so right! We cannot expect people who are not us to write laws for us, so we need to be in powerful positions so we can help to write laws to protect us. She also said that there is nothing wrong with being the first but make sure you are not that last. I think that is really important right now with how things are being handled politically that we as women make sure that we are not closing the door for other women that wish to follow in our footsteps.
Sarah McBride, Delaware State Senate Candidate SD-01, said that we need to redefine who “we the people” are. Change comes from the bottom up. We can do it. We can rise up and we can completely refine what “we the people” means. It certainly means more than just white men and we need to make that known.
Activist, Social Entrepreneur, and Former Congressional Candidate Erin Schrode said that the government is not protecting us and if we want to get something done that we better go and do it ourselves. All of us young people, men and women, have a chance to make a different. If you know your circle and know what you are running, and you may succeed. She also reminded us that we would not be silenced if we were not doing something right.
Celina Montoya, Candidate for TX House District 121, said to always get up and try again. She reminded all of us that we do not need to be a politician to just get involved with the process and to make real change in our lives.
Congresswoman from Minnesota Angie Craig emphasized that you will never regret fighting for what you believe in, even if you do not always succeed. This was so important to hear. It is okay not to win an election or get nominated for a position, but that does not mean that what you did was wrong or that you did not deserve it. Keep trying and keep working to move forward.
There were so many inspiring women that said so many motivational things to all of us on that call. All of these women took the time out of their incredibly busy schedules to speak to us. I think that it really resonated with me that all of them felt so drawn, from both sides of the isle, telling us to go vote and to go run for something, anything from school board to president.
The second part of the event was just as powerful. All 120 of us got to sit down with Running Start and come up with our plans. They gave us an opportunity to get going with our plans and really get us ready for the incredible opportunity we can all have if we want. We worked on our issues that we are passionate about, how we will build a support network and campaign, and our campaign elevator pitch.
The afternoon was so powerful. I cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity to be a part of the Elect Her event. All of those incredible women, speakers and participants really motivated me. The speakers were truly so inspirational and really believed that every single one of us can make a difference in the world one day. Being surrounded by (virtually) 120 other young college age women who have similar interests and goals as myself was so powerful, and it is so helpful to have found such a strong network and made so many new connections. I heard their words and will carry them forward with me into my future, where I hope that one day, I can also make a difference.