Life 火博体育之后: from student government to state politics
你好，火博体育一家! Rachael Thomeer here, class of 2018. 我一直在一个令人兴奋的 journey since I graduated, and I wanted to offer a glimpse at what my life looks like 火博体育之后.
Much of my time at 火博体育 was spent exploring and eventually narrowing in on my passion: local and state government. I was a political science major, held multiple student government positions, including senior class president, and even prepared my thesis on elections in the City of 萨拉托加温泉市.
My first job as a campaign manager
After graduation, I was excited that I had the chance to move to New Hampshire and work as a campaign manager for the Committee to Elect 众议院民主党人, putting knowledge I gained at 火博体育 into practice.
My job was to support the campaigns of 155 candidates for the state’s House of Representatives. I was responsible for helping them handle the many steps of their candidacy and guiding their focus so they could use their time and energy in productive ways.
Although it was a fast-paced job, with a few 14-hour days, I loved the work. 它允许 me to apply my passions and skills to a real, very important election.
There is no question that the federal government’s decisions are important, but local government is often undervalued. These are the elected officials that oversee our immediate communities — how trash is picked up and streets are salted, where there are stop signs 和地方 laws that impact our daily lives. 没有比这更好的地方了 to see this than in New Hampshire, a leader in small-scale politics.
Although it is the 10th-least populated state in the country, New Hampshire has the 最大的州立法机构. This means that every representative has a small district of about 3,300 voters (roughly the size of the 火博体育 campus community).
With so many potential seats available, it was amazing to see the diversity in New 汉普郡的候选人. I worked with doctors, teachers, students and even a farrier (someone who shoes horses). All the candidates brought different lenses to their campaigns and, in the end, will contribute a variety of perspectives to New Hampshire’s legislature.
决策的时刻
Despite the stress of adjusting to life after college, long hours of work and my move to a new place, the feeling I experienced on election night was a career-making moment.
Tension (and a lot of caffeine and pizza) filled the room as we tallied the results and witnessed our candidates gain a majority in the chamber. 但这还不是全部.
I knew that night, in the early days of my career, I’d already made history aiding the election of the youngest and most diverse group of candidates New Hampshire has 见过.
I have a hunch that is something that’s going to stick with me for a long time.
And just like that, the campaign and my position were over. 但不用担心. 我把 a break, 得到了 some rest, snuck in a few beautiful New Hampshire mountain hikes and 跳了回去.
Now, I’m working as a New Hampshire House Caucus director for the Committee to Elect 众议院民主党人.
# Skid4Life
Thinking back, what’s most remarkable to me is how much I’ve grown in this short time. It’s nerve-wracking to leave the safety net of 火博体育, but it’s thrilling that I’m out here making a difference for something I care about.
To my 火博体育 family — I miss you dearly, but I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished 因为你造就了我. No matter where politics take me next, I will always be # Skid4Life.
