“I'm really passionate about this fight for health care reform because I know too many people who go without any kind of insurance coverage... I'm one of them. I think young people often have to make a decision to do what they are passionate about or get adequate coverage.”

University / Year of Graduation / Major or emphasis I graduated this May with a double major in political science and communications from Saint Joseph's College of Maine.

Groups/Publications/Organizations Involved with (in school and after) In school I was involved with Campus Progress and the College Democrats, Catholics United and the college campus ministry. My involvement there was with a lot of social justice work, opposing the School of the Americas and other work including a spring break workfest program. The summer before my senior year in college I even ran for State Representative in my hometown.

How did you become politicized? I started working in politics because I hated the Iraq War. I thought it was an unjust war that it never should have been waged.

What got you to where you are today? Hard work and a lot friends. When people respect the work that I've done, they will often ask me ways that they can help. By staying as organized as possible I have really been able to lean on my friends and support network. The alliance that we have has helped me move forward and inspired me. I love that in Maine, we have record numbers of young people stepping up for the progressive movement. Though I'm not one of them, we have a bunch of young people serving our state in the Maine Legislature too. I feel supported and that helps me work harder towards making a difference.

How did you get involved with Campus Progress? I got involved with Campus Progress in 2007. CP helped me get down to Washington, D.C. for a week where I learned how to lobby Congress for an end to our involvement in Iraq. After that training I really began to feel like one voice could make a difference. Quite honestly, CP was what helped me take an active role in progressive politics.

Tell us a little bit about your fight for Health Care Reform... For the last three months, I worked as a community organizer with the SEIU campaign called Change that Works in Maine. Change that Works allowed me to be a voice for health care reform in my community. I took part in the largest health care rally ever in Maine and helped to bus activists from other parts of Maine to the rally. I'm really passionate about this fight for health care reform because I know too many people who go without any kind of insurance coverage... I'm one of them. I think young people often have to make a decision to do what they are passionate about or get adequate coverage. This limits the innovation of our country and places a heavy burden on our economy. Something has to change; the insurance industry must change and I believe that a public option is the change we need.

What kind of opportunities and/or hurdles have you faced in your activism for reform and other issues? Well, in Maine our Senators and Congressional delegation have refused to hold town hall meetings. That makes it tough to get real conversation with them on health care policy to happen. Basically, it just means we have to follow them around and hold signs. That's just not real conversation!  In Maine people have such respect for our political leaders that they will rarely question what they do. Constituents would rather question me for trying to make a difference than the leaders who are sitting still. Sometimes it's like facing a brick wall but I do think it's getting easier. Finally, next week Susan Collins is going to be participating in a health care "forum".  The thing is, it's being sponsored by a fiscally conservative group, the Concord Coalition. She will be given an opportunity to answer questions from the crowd and I just don't believe she will be open to discussing reality since it's going to be sponsored by the Concord Coalition. The press probably won't even mention the sponsoring organizations and constituents will decide yet again, not to question her on her policy.

What are your next steps? What's next for you in terms of activism or personal goals? Right now, I've decided to change things up a bit professionally. I am working for the Parks & Recreation Department in my hometown to launch an after-school program for 4th & 5th graders and promote teen programming. Once the after-school program has been launched in early September I am really interested in moving down to Washington, D.C.. I hope that I will be able to work for an organization that plans events and promotes the work of young progressive activists on a national scale.

Any words of advice for young progressives? Just keep working. Now that we've elected a Democratic majority, it's our time to work harder. Dream about the country you'd like to see and move towards it a little bit more everyday. Oh and keep in touch. Campus Progress does a great job assuring that community leaders are in contact with each other. I'd like to hear from you though so send me an e-mail! Let me know what you're up to and if there's anything I can do to help you and your group, I'd like to know that too!