Clarissa will represent her state, Kansas, but her generation this August at the convention in Denver. Clarissa will be a senior at the University of Kansas this fall and played a critical role in the Kansas caucus. She was the State Coordinator of Kansas Students for Obama, and had the opportunity to work with student groups across the state.
After being appointed as State Coordinator, I was incredibly excited but had no idea what I was getting myself into. Being State Coordinator meant overseeing 11 chapters at colleges, universities and high schools throughout the state. It meant eight or more hour workdays that start after class, after studying, and after the three other jobs I work to get myself through school. It meant organizing state-wide student events, leading city-wide canvass trainings, and sometimes knocking on over 100 doors a day. It also meant housing numerous staffers for over five months, helping to oversee 20 student interns in the Kansas Obama Headquarters, and spending my winter break in Iowa and New Hampshire. But most importantly, it meant the most incredible learning experience of my life and one that I would not have given up for anything.Our students traveled from Iowa to New Hampshire to Nevada. They made thousands of phone calls to each of the 50 states and worked countless hours here in Kansas to help solidify the 74-26 percent win that Senator Obama had in the caucuses in Kansas.The most memorable moment of the primary for me was actually being at my caucus location on February 5, and seeing hundreds and hundreds of people continually file into the room. It was seeing people that I had called or people whose doors I had knocked on actually show up to caucus for Senator Obama. It was seeing my neighbors, professors, and friends all come together on a cold and snowy night to stand up for a cause and a Presidential candidate that each of us believe in and that give each of us hope.
Comments are closed for this post.
