Lauren King ‘20: “I identify as a conservative, or Republican. My whole family is very Christian and I believe politically, since I think that everything in the Bible is correct, it should be like that. I think the current political climate is very intense. Everyday I go home and my dad tells me all these things and he says, “You better be ready, Lauren, there’s gonna be a war!” I wish it wasn’t like that. Since this is the first election that I’ve really been involved in, it’s just like, “Is it supposed to be like this?” I think my ideology gives more rights. It’s smarter, to me, and it’s safer. Liberals think people should be more equal, but I disagree with it because equality is good but it’s not always the safest thing to do. I’m not saying everyone shouldn’t have rights but it’s just not as safe sometimes. I think political engagement impacts everyone in your country and the people around you and it’s important to know what’s going on around you, and have a voice in it.”

Kelsey Crowe ‘18: “Politically I identify as Republican, closer to conservative. I think right now it is very tense. I’m not very happy about it. When Obama won the presidency, Republicans did not go out into the street and break cars and throw things at windows to show how mad we were. We were like, “Okay, he’s president. Let’s move on. Let’s move forward and see how we can make this the best experience for all of us.” I think it’s a shame that’s not happening right now. The thing we should be doing is coming together and saying, “How can we compromise, how can we move forward, and how can we make it the best it can be?” My ideology is definitely unique and different at school and provides a sense of identity. For me, I know I’m not just falling in with what everybody else thinks. I think the liberal ideologies definitely have advantages. In terms of social issues, I’m generally more left. It’s hard to be a person who says, “I don’t agree with gay rights or trans rights.” Nowadays if you’re coming out and saying that it’s like, “What are you doing?” Especially at our age, there are a lot of people who like a certain thing and they do that because that’s what they’re told to like. But actually doing your own research and understanding what’s going on, that’s really important. There’s not a wrong opinion as long as your form it yourself.”

Christy Vineis ‘17: “I would consider myself both moderate and independent. I think in the grand scheme I’m probably further left but as far as my age group goes, I’m probably more conservative. Socially, I consider myself a liberal. I think having a progressive ideology is an important thing for me but on the flip side I would be more moderate economically, neither conservative or liberal. I hate this political climate. We’ve gotten to a place of two extremes and that’s not going to solve anything, and that’s why I like identifying as more middle of the road because I think that’s where more solutions will be made and more resolving of conflict. I’ve enabled myself to be pretty open-minded and accepting of most people’s ideas whether they’re on either side. I would find it hard to find a strong opinion on anything and that can be a little frustrating at times. I have an opinion on things, but it’s in a way, always wrong. Being in the middle is considered wrong right now; you have to be one side of what’s going on. At a time like this, political engagement is really important considering the conflicts and questions we are being faced with. It’s important to listen to both sides and that you’re listening to someone with the facts and not just what you want to hear.”

Felipe Centeno-Gunz ‘19: “I consider myself moderately liberal. A lot of things around the Bill of Rights is at the core of the identification. Definitely freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I believe everyone should be able to speak their mind and it doesn’t matter what their opinion is, and I think that everyone should have a voice in politics. I think an advantage to being moderately liberal is valuing everyone’s opinion and allowing everyone to speak openly about what they believe. An advantage to conservative ideals might be conserving ideals that America had before, which is important to a lot of people. Political engagement is important because if a person is complaining about the political state that America is in right now and they didn’t choose to vote it shows that they didn’t care that much because they didn’t try to make their voice heard and they didn’t stand up for what they believe in.”

Aarushi Machavarapu”I identify as liberal. I think freedom of expression and kind of a no-limits approach, more equality and open-mindedness go with that. I dislike the political climate. But I think something like this is really eye-opening to seeing two polar completely opposite sides of this country. It’s just made people realize how much things matter, because we were so lucky to have Obama who changed America but we have Trump now, who’s changing America but completely differently. I think liberals promote so much more equality and are open to many different perspectives and so much more willing to explore whereas conservatives are more focused. We’re very concerned with ideals that conflict equality or things that are basic human rights. To me, political engagement is so important. If you’re not politically engaged, after these four years you’re going to wish you were. It helps people realize what is going on.”