This past weekend, I attended the National Campaign Conference hosted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. As the freshman representative on the McConnell scholar council, I was given the opportunity to attend the conference, accompanied by our public relations director, GlyptusAnn Grider Jones. The conference focused on strategies and skills for encouraging our campus to vote and hosted a wide array of interesting speakers. Along with Ryan Davis and Colin Stewart, representatives from the company that ran Barack Obama’s first election campaign, we were able to hear and discuss issues with Margaret McKenna, a campaign organizer for Hilary Clinton’s presidential election campaign, and other leaders who have been active in campaigning and voter mobilization. With a focus on increasing voter participation on college campuses, we were also able to assess skills that are critical to leadership. By analyzing the characteristics and practices of our favorite leaders, learning the importance of delivering precise speeches, discussing the difference between leadership and management, we were able to learn and foster skills that are essential to being a strong leader.
Through the conference, I was also able to meet and network with 23 students from universities as far across the nation as the University of Texas and the University of Southern California. With such a diverse group of enthusiastic and intelligent students, the group was able to pose important issues that voters face today, hold interesting discussions, and produce innovative ways to encourage college students to vote and become more active in the political issues that affect them.
- Cathrine Mountain, Class of 2015
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