It has been the healing experience of seeing people of all political parties, religions, backgrounds, ages, etc. come together on common ground. Our country seems to be constantly dividing into tribes; what I saw in the 2022 and 2023 elections defied all those boundaries. It was inspiring and life-changing for me to see people, some who had never voted in a non-presidential race before, come together and work hard for something they all believe in. It was the kind of energy and teamwork that we would hope to see in our community.

When it comes to civic engagement and working for change, I’ve learned that "a little something is better than a big nothing.”

I cared about the issue of poverty, but volunteering in the community made me care about the people experiencing poverty. And at this personal scale, I could understand their experiences, find out how public policy actually affected them, and make a real difference in their lives and our community.

I've stood on the sidelines of political and public debate all of my adult life because I convinced myself that's what a good journalist does. In my case, it's also been a cop out. My work, however, has been dedicated to helping others "better citizens, kinder neighbors and more effective advocates." Finally, I decided to take my own advice.