Ben: My high school education is rooted in current events and being aware of the outside world. More specifically, not just knowing what’s happening, but why and how each individual event has context in relation to another. I’ve become interested in understanding how the government works so that I can understand my own rights. Whether it be Tom’s Economics and Public Policy course or Alicia’s Mandarin class, the topic of Democracy is always present.

 

Ben: Four years ago, my perspective was that the election was something that occurred – and I didn’t have influence over it. However, it was also at this time that I attended the inauguration of Obama's re-election in Washington D.C. It was a surreal experience, as we were all very aware that we were witnessing history. I recall being huddled in the crowd, but I will admit that I don’t recall any particular excerpt from the speech. Instead, one protestor captured my attention. Whenever the national anthem was played, the protestor would jump down from a tree limb to create a scene. That experience is the most colorful; not necessarily because of the content of the protestor, but because it made me realize the power of the individual. I could see from afar that something important was happening, but I wasn't fully able to comprehend it in the moment.

Ben: My family has always watched CNN. Even if I don't agree with other perspectives, I watch and listen to as much as possible - through social media, Al Jazeera, Fox, I always want more angles. Although I'll scroll through to find news, I recognize it’s important to read articles, and not just headlines. Headlines may be catchy and entertaining, but they don't necessarily speak to the actual story. As for my peers, social media is a primary source. One of my concerns is that many may only read headlines, and that can be dangerous.

 

 

 

Ben: I've always been interested in maps, the electoral college fascinates me. In tenth grade, I did an Honors project on American Partition Movements. As a result, I created a map of 144 states with a time-line (1776-Present) of how the map could have been changed using this alternate reality. Not only did I learn about American History, but I learned about divisions within American society. The current successions (divisions) are very similar to the divisions we have studied in class. This year, I took this map of 144 states and figured out how many electoral votes each state would have. Looking at the past four presidential elections, I would decide whether each state would vote Democrat or Republican. The information I gathered proved that urban environments are predominantly liberal. Throughout the map, the rural population would have far more power than it has today. Each state would have more equal voting power. This equality seems to skew toward the conservative side; rural areas typically have a lack of resources and education that factor into their politics. I find that fascinating. The election has encouraged me to look at the electoral map differently; and the electoral map has made me look at the election differently. 

 

 

Ben: This past August, I was taking an uptown train from Houston Street when I spotted an ad within the subway car. The caption was “Election Poll Worker: Get Paid.” That was enough to perk my interest. I immediately went home and registered online. Having turned 18 years old on July 30^th, the timing coincided with my eligibility.

Ben: Last year, my 11^th grade trip lab went to Louisville, KY. While spending time at an English leaning/citizenship preparation community building, I noticed how many questions regards laws and history contained content that neither I nor my peers could answer. As a citizen, I want to expand my knowledge of how the government works, it’s my obligation as a critical thinking member of society.