Have Some Sense Will Ya?

   I really didn't want to write a piece about this because I REALLY hoped that people would have some sense. I really wanted to believe that they would see how crazy they look and cease and desist the idiocy...but they didn't. If anything it has gotten worse. I am sure you would like to know what I am talking about, right? 

   I am talking about the recent rash of people taking SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLES into places like Chipotle and Target to assert their Second Amendment rights and scare the crap out of their neighbors. Not only do I think that this is quite possibly the stupidest thing I have ever heard of, but it is also the SCARIEST thing I have ever heard of. 

Gun Rights Enthusiasts at the Target...

   So let me explain what has been going on if you haven't heard. The past few months have seen a rash of 'protests' and 'demonstrations' where people show up to places like Chipotle (this was when I first heard about it) and Target (just found out about this) with the BIGGEST gun they own, normally a semi-automatic rifle or a shotgun, and go in and act like it's completely normal to have something that deadly strapped to their back. People's reaction to these people walking in has been what one would expect, panic and confusion. Normally, when someone walks in with a gun things are about to suck really bad for you. When asked to leave in some cases these people have put up a fuss, but never pulled their gun on anyone (thank GOD). Though someone did leave a LOADED HANDGUN IN THE TOY SECTION at a Target in South Carolina.

   My first question is: How do they NOT see how insane this makes them look? How do you sit there and think 'you know what I'm going to take my gun with me to the Target and it's going to be awesome. No one will freak out at all.'?

   My second question is: WHY THE HELL DO YOU NEED A SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE OR SHOTGUN AT THE STORE? Why? Are there guerilla soldiers hiding in the cosmetics department? Are there deer foraging in the juniors' clothes section? NO, there are not. So why in the hell do you need it?

   So maybe you do think that no one will freak out or that there are guerilla soldiers hiding in cosmetics, let me explain what is going through the mind of every employee and every unarmed customer in the store you are at though. 

*Spots Giant Gun on person's back as they walk in the store*

"Oh God. They are going to shoot everyone. Oh God. I'm going to die today."

*Likely followed with a lot of screaming and running*

   First and foremost, you will look crazy and like you are about to be the next mass shooter.

   Second, when people catch on to what you are actually doing, you look like an idiot.

   Finally, it hurts your cause more than helps it.

   I get it. You like your guns and you want to keep them. Guess what. No one is coming to take them away from you. I am from the South. I know how much people love their guns. I do not quite understand it, but hey, as long as you only use them for hunting, self defense, and target practice at a shooting range I am pretty okay with it. But when you bring your gun to a Target or a Chipotle be prepared for me to not support your right to carry it there because you are putting other people's rights in danger now and I will not stand for that.

   So have some sense. Don't look like the next mass murderer. (Especially since even the NRA has condemned these demonstrations. I mean, come on.) Also, take a look at these stats and tell me that the US does not need even a little more regulation of gun trade.

Are You Ready For Hillary?

   And so it begins...

   Today, Hillary Clinton announced that she was 'thinking' about running for President in 2016. This is the first time she has really expressed any opinion on the matter. She expertly dodged question after question since 2012 and now we get the first glimpse...and it is not much. She expressed what her friends and colleagues have been saying since 2008. Some people are taking this as a sure sign that she will be running and validation for their devotion to her candidacy, which is all fine and dandy, but she hasn't announced yet. The very idea of her running has launched thousands to begin building a campaign for her already. The Ready For Hillary organization is fundraising as we speak for a campaign we are not sure is actually going to happen. Political Organizers all over the nation are citing that as what they want to be doing in 2016, this, that, or the other position on Hillary 2016. I have even said it to be honest. 

   It is a crazy phenomenon that someone who ran 6 years ago for the Democratic nomination and lost could garner so much support without actually saying she is running. Hillary Clinton's popularity is through the roof and hitting the ground she would have some of the best staff out there begging to sign on with her for the long haul, myself among them. She has become an icon in her time as Secretary of State to the point that if she does not run I am not sure what the DNC will do. People who would be dead ringers to run have said their decision hinges on whether she runs. No one wants to stand in her way. 

Photo Credit Aria Meier - Region 6 Dry Run Data Party

   From a field perspective, I would die to work on that race. It would be one of the biggest, best funded, amazingly staffed campaigns in recent history. My personal goal for 2016 is to be a Training Director in Virginia for the Democratic nominee aka Hillary. After that I actually plan to retire my campaign shoes and move on to graduate school. The thing is Hillary 2016 has become the Golden Apple of campaigns for people who work in Field. We covet the opportunity to be a part of something so huge. The first Female President of the United States. Another Clinton in office. One of the most influential people in the world becoming the Leader of the Free World. For a lot of us it looks to be a real turning point for our country. It will be something we can look to and say "I did that and it made a difference." It will be the same feeling Field Staff had in 2008 when we elected Barack Obama, but potentially bigger. 

   I am not going to be foolish and say that Hillary Clinton is perfect. She is not. No one is. But I really do think she could be the "hero Gotham needs right now" to quote the Dark Knight. Things are changing here in the United States and it's looking like the Democrats are starting to come out on top after a good long fight. We have changed the playing field and really honed our skills. We are ahead of the game. For someone like me it is an exciting time for be a political organizer because things are on the move. States are shifting. Look at Virginia, all 5 statewide offices held by Democrats, a Democratic State Senate, and increased movement on important issues. 

   So I will be honest and say I REALLY hope Hillary decides to run because it will be insane and epic and life changing. But I am not going to assume anything until 2015 when people start declaring.

   I'm Ready For Hillary, Are You?

Pandora's Pythos and the Hope is Holds

   Centuries and centuries ago there were amazing stories of how things came to be. Great fables and myths that are still heard today though many are considered debunked. If you know me at all well you know I am fascinated with very specific periods in history, amongst those being Ancient Greece. I was so fascinated by Ancient History I went so far as to minor in Classical Studies while getting my Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Studies. 

   It enthralls me how these people who had so little in ways of science or even history in some cases were able to organize some of the most amazing societies, empires, and religions. I believe that the Ancient Greek religion is one of my favorites. It is so unique because though they have multiple Gods and Goddesses with specific attributes and realms of influence, these deities still have very human flaws. They are one of the only organized religions that had their "Great Beings" be imperfect and make mistakes. That could be why I am drawn to Ancient Greek mythology.

   One of my favorite stories out of Greek mythology is that of Prometheus and his brother, Epimethius. According to the myth, these two Titan brothers molded all living things giving each a gift to protect them. Prometheus got in trouble because he gave humans fire, a substance only meant for the Gods. His punishment was to be chained to a rock for the rest of eternity and each day have his liver eaten by an eagle, but this was not the only punishment handed down by the Gods. Prometheus's brother got his own punishment. The Gods fashioned Epimethius a wife. She was perfect in every way.

   Her name was Pandora.

   Pandora was Epimethius's punishment, for with Pandora came her pythos (which was a jar not a box) and she was never to open it. But the Gods who had created Pandora gave her curiosity, not normally a bad thing, so one day she opened her pythos. She unleashed all the greatest horrors into the world. War, Death, Disease, etc. The only thing she managed to save was Hope. And so goes the story of why humans will always have hope to fall back on in the worst of circumstances. 

   Hope is something that means a lot to me. I refuse to lose it. I mean Pandora saved it for us for a reason. When you lose hope there is nothing left to live for, you just exist. Hope is what keeps me going, keeps me fighting. I have had hope in many things and people. I work in a field where having hope is half the battle. You have to believe you can win and then fight every second so that you get there. Even at my lowest points I always believe there is a chance. It is the reason I always want to believe the best of people, why I give them so many chances to prove me right. 

   I will be honest and say that sometimes it does blow up in my face. Sometimes I am let down. Very badly in some cases, but somehow I can always get back up. Because there are times when I am so very right, where I am given more reason to believe in what I do and the people I keep in my life. 

   Hope is such a fascinating concept. I literally keeps people going and doing amazing things. The world is full of people who have only hope to fall back on to keep them fighting for whatever it is they believe in or whatever goals they wish to achieve. But seeing someone lose hope is the worst thing in the world. It is like seeing someone lose the life inside. Watching them give up and just exist through doing just enough to get by. To think that one thing can be the catalyst of so much. It is insane and yet it makes so much sense. Why would the Greeks have made it so important that Pandora saved Hope if it meant nothing? Thousands of years ago it was understood that the one thing that would keep mankind moving forward was hope and today that still rings true. 

   I can not tell you what I was really trying to achieve with this, but a thought struck me and I had to write it down. Maybe the muses were out to play today. Maybe I am a lucky victim of one of the nine's touch. Who is to know?

Perks of Campaign World

So this week is all about experiences I've had. I feel like sharing so here we go. 

   Something great about Campaign World is that when you win, you celebrate. When I say celebrate I mean that we, as organizers, throw the roof off the place. I have been lucky enough to be a part of three winning campaigns in my career and each time was the best experience I could ask for. I love my campaign family. They are amazing and gifted people and there are no other people I would rather take the night with. With three campaigns I have been to three staff victory parties, two inaugurations, two balls, and one staff after party. Each of them was the most fun I have ever had. I'm going to tell you what I can about each and why these things are my favorite.

Region 11 The Morning After the OFA Victory Party (Banez's pic)

   I have got to say that Obama treated us well when it came to post campaign perks. He really did. We had a victory party in Richmond where they provided a place for us to crash literally next to the venue. It was an awesome experience where we all drove out to Richmond from Norfolk carrying everything from our offices, printers, laptops, modems, and desktops, dropped them off in the Richmond office, ran to the hotel, changed, and got together as regions before we headed to the venue across the street. The great thing about my region is that we were Region 11, which consisted of Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake, aka the cities that brought it in for Virginia and turned it Blue for Obama. It was a little crazy because we would get asked what region we were and get treated like Kings and Queens when people heard. We danced, we laughed, we listened to a speech about our impending 'funemployment', and we went back to our accidentally acquired Presidential Suite and enjoyed ourselves into the wee hours of the morning. It was an experience I'll never forget. The next morning we hit the wall every campaign hits where you realize you are not going to see these people every day anymore. So we went to brunch at a random Bistro to prolong our time in Richmond.

Crowd Shot (Credit to Me)

   Almost three months later, we came back together for the Obama Inauguration and Staff Ball in January. I road tripped it up with my former Field Organizer. Super entertaining. We stayed with one of the former Fellows who lived in Maryland. The Inauguration was insane. The National Mall was packed with people. I have never seen so many people in one place. I watched President Obama and Vice President Biden take their oaths of office. I listened to Beyonce since the National Anthem and I did this amongst my fellow organizers. We froze our butts off for this. We screamed the loudest. We were the proudest. 

Reggie and I at the Staff Ball (Credit to Reggie)

   Later on, we headed to our very own Ball. I'm not going to lie, OFA staff cleans up well. We all went all out. We, also, got super lucky because "Suit & Tie" by Justin Timberlake came out the week before.  We jumped each other as we found each other in the crowd. We danced. We watched Lady Gaga perform and had a great DJ. VP and Dr. Biden came out and spoke a little. President and Michelle Obama came out and he spoke while she sort of did an interpretive dance. They tried to rush him and he said "No, I can take time for these people." It was amazing. It was the real last time that I saw several of those amazing people as we scattered to the four winds. 

   Let me tell you, if there is a candidate that know how to celebrate a win, it is Terry McAuliffe. He brought us all to Richmond, found a great venue, paid for all the food and drinks, and celebrated with us. It was awesome. This is one of my absolute favorite teams I have worked with. There are few, if any, people who worked for Terry that I did not like. We mingled between regions. We hung with our own. It was an amazing event. I witnessed the Governor of Virginia attempt to dance. I even danced with him with a few of my colleagues. The campaign leadership gave rousing speeches. Terry and his wife, Dorothy, both gave speeches. We stormed the stage a few times. It was an epic night. The next day, there was another brunch. This time at 3rd Street Diner. Another farewell that hurt.    

That's Terry giving a speech in the RAIN (Credit to I'esha)

   Another 3 month gap, though I saw a lot more of these guys in between than the last time, and we reunite for my second Inauguration in two years. So, of course, it rains. For two hours, we all sat in the rain. Watching all our hard work come to fruition. A Democratic Sweep was sworn into office that day. It was amazing. The better thing is when Terry came up to speak the rain let up. It was like a little sign from the Big Guy that we were on the right track. I was more excited for Herring to take his oath to be honest because it had been a fight to get him in the seat of Attorney General with the recount and the potential shady dealings. It was a sweet victory. That night we had the Inaugural Ball. It was not quite as fun as I would've liked. We all dressed up super fancy. Looked amazing. It was definitely more of a schmoozing event than an actual dance ball. We mingled. Took the necessary pictures. I may have avoided people from my past as effectively as possible. Overall, it was nice, but we were in need of some real celebration. Good thing Terry planned a staff after party and provided shuttles.

Team Michion at the Ball

  When the time came it was a mass exodus to the Staff After Party across town. That is when it got really fun. Robby Mook met us there and came on EVERY bus to welcome people as they came. We arrived still in our finest and started the real celebration. The music was loud, food abundant, and drinks flowing. I danced with my home region, Region 6, and of course our neighbors Region 4. I tried with all my might to get my fellow SD 33 organizers to dance. I failed miserably. I definitely danced right in front of them a few times. Terry came and gave his speech. He made his requests and danced a bit. We all had an obscene amount of fun and I'll definitely count that night among the most fun I have had. I was with all my favorite people and I will always love that. 

   For Jennifer Wexton's campaign we were not sure when we would get to go and either celebrate or be together in our sorrow. Insanely, Results were in by 9pm. I got a burst of energy, probably just adrenaline, and changed into some fancy clothes and headed to the venue for our victory party. This was my favorite Victory Party. We walked around. Enjoyed each others' company. Talked about what had happened and what was next. It was just a great feeling. This is my favorite day in Campaign World. We deserved it so much. This was the best team I ever worked with and likely will ever work with. It was so bittersweet the next day when so many of them were leaving for home so soon. I will miss them the most. 

   So that's what it's like to celebrate a win. We have fun. We enjoy each other. We become and are family. 

From the Eyes of a Bystander

   I am going to talk about something that happened to me a while back. Above you see pictured one of my favorite cities in the world, Boston. Last year I spent April, May, and part of June in this amazing city. I didn't think I would like it much when I first decided to go up there for my job. I thought I would become a human popsicle to be honest. We southerners do not do well in the cold. I got over that soon though because the people I was with were amazing and the job I was doing was something I really believed in.

   Boston is an amazing city. It's very different from DC and New York and, even, my native Virginia Beach. It's beautiful in a dingy sort of way. It's very old feeling. The people there are kind, but also tough as nails. It's a liberal's paradise too. I spent time there in one of my former job's headquarters working on our summer recruitment project. Turns out I am really good at convincing people that canvassing and fundraising is important. I loved what I was doing every day.

   While I was there the organization I worked with picked up a contract to petition for the American Lung Association in a few of our cities to get signatures in support of a bill that would work to decrease sulfur emissions in cars, which are a leading cause in asthma in young children. One of those cities was Boston. We had the perfect opportunity. The Boston Marathon was that week and we would make a killing because who cares more about clean air than runners who depend on it and their families? No one really.

   So on Marathon Monday we were out at different parts of the route talking to people. People were really responsive and it was pretty fun. A nice change from being stuck in the office all day. The day went on. I spoke to so many people that day. People waiting for their loved ones to cross the finish line, old marathon veterans, the runners themselves, people who came from all over to watch or participate. It was amazing. I even saw some re-enactors in full colonial dress with muskets and buckled shoes. 

   That's why when I heard a loud BOOM!! come from a few blocks away I thought it was a cannon. It startled me a bit, but I assumed it was just some re-enactment stuff. I decided to go check on my other canvassers anyway. I find one of them as I walk up the street and she asked me what happened. I said "Oh I think it was just a cannon." Then she told me to turn around. There was smoke billowing up from 3 blocks away. That's when I decided we needed to find the rest of our group. I still remember thinking "How is this happening in Boston? I'm not in DC, what is this." We found them and upon further discussion decided to head back to the office. All we knew was that there was an explosion at the finish line and it was probably a better idea to leave the area. We started walking in the direction of the office and at one point got caught in something of a stampede. People got startled and started running. We got through a barricade and got out of the main body of people as soon as we could and headed for Boston Commons. We tried calling our office but the cell lines were shut down because far too many people were trying to call on them. 

   We watched families find each other. People walk almost in a daze. Others crying and visibly shaken. I held the hand of one of our canvassers the entire walk back. I didn't want to lose anyone if people started running again. I probably needed the comfort too. Maybe she did. I remember feeling my phone vibrate and there being a notification from the Virginian-Pilot (before NY Times or BBC or Al Jazeera) that there had been an explosion at the Boston Marathon. We made it back to the office safely. We made it upstairs and no one knew what had happened yet. I had gotten a call from one of my coworkers who worked on the upper floor of our office and frantically told someone to call her and tell her we were okay. I almost walked upstairs to do it myself. I made the calls that needed to be made. Told my parents I was okay. Told my sisters. Told my friends in the DC office who had been freaking out. Then I went back to work. 

   They brought in a psychiatrist the next day to talk to us and make sure we were okay. We talked about how we felt and what our reactions were. I stayed after because I was a little confused. I asked the psychiatrist why I didn't feel more scared. Why I felt okay just a day later. He told me it was because I had handled it. I talked to people about it. He told me I was more prepared than others for this by being a military brat who lived through 9/11 and having gone to high school so close the Virginia Tech. I had dealt with high stress situations before and I knew what to do for my psyche to handle it. I'm not sad to hear this, but it's a little weird to be told that you've lived such an eventful life that you can handle being so close to a bombing. 

   Here's the reality of what happened. Two brothers, who happened to be radicalize muslims, planted bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line. Those bombs went off injuring a large amount of people even killing a few. The people of Boston took no time to run in and help those people. They picked people up and carried them to the hospital. The runners who were still coming in didn't stop there. They ran straight to the hospital to give blood. People opened up their businesses and homes to complete strangers. Life went on. The bad guys were caught. Boston is the toughest city I've ever been to. Tough as nails. It was hit and stood back up to lay its own punches.

   To this day I still get emotional when I read about it or people remember it on TV or online. I can't handle the sound of cannons. Recently, at the Virginia Gubernatorial Inauguration, I did not realize they were going to set off cannons and the first one nearly sent me into a panic attack. My intern let me squeeze her hand through the whole thing. The whole time I was hoping they weren't going to set them off for the number of governors we've had (it was the 72nd Gubernatorial Inauguration). I like many others will live with that experience my whole life. It's the closest I ever been to that kind of traumatic event. 

   I'm not writing this for sympathy or your praise. I just know that people really don't understand what happened that day if they weren't there. I'm writing this from my eye witness experience so that you can see what it felt like for people and what it looked like from the eyes of a bystander. Do what you will with this, but it has been on my mind since they announced that the case was under way for one of those brothers. People are asking if they are going to ask for the death penalty and so forth. I will be candid with you. I hope they don't. I don't believe in capital punishment and never will. This kid needs help. Give it to him. 

   So that is all I have to say on this. I never wrote about it before because I seamlessly slipped back into campaign life because my other coping mechanism is to throw myself into my work. So now you know.

How I Found Home

Sorry guys, but this has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with me. 

   Growing up I was always a bit of an outsider. I had a hard time finding a circle a friends, partially because I went to five elementary schools and when I did settle down in a school system, it was in a small town where everyone had known everyone since birth. I was a perpetual new kid, which both helped and hurt my social skills. To be honest, in all that moving no where really felt right. I was never really comfortable. I always stood out and was invisible at the same time. That's probably part of the reason I never saw the merits in joining a sorority when I was getting ready to go to college. Sororities were for preppy girls, girls who partied hard, and had lots of money. I was none of those things. I was the girl sitting in class with her nose stuck in a book, who only really spoke up to answer questions in class or to sing in the choir. That did not fit the sorority mold. Or so I thought. 

   When I went off to college at Virginia Wesleyan College I decided to make a change. I am naturally a boisterous, extroverted person and I was sick of repressing that side of me. So I didn't. I walked into VWC on my first day and spoke to the first person I saw. Then I spoke to every person I came across. I found friends amongst the other freshmen as well as the Orientation Staff. My new friends and I ended up hanging out with a few of the SOSers (as they were called) the night of Scene 1 Orientation and that is where I met Lynette and Lisa. They became fast friends of mine and when I came back for Scene 2 we hung out more and more. 

That's Lynette. She's basically my favorite human being.

   During Scene 2 Orientation I really clicked with Lynette and she started inviting me over to her room to hang out with she and her friends. Just so happens those friends were her sisters. To be honest, I was surprised in what I saw. These weren't the bleach blond party girls I had thought sorority girls to be. These were student leaders, artists, writers, scientists, actors, and so much more. Within the first two weeks of my freshman year, I had a new goal. I wanted to join a sorority. Not just any sorority though. These amazing women I had grown to love and look up to were members of Phi Sigma Sigma Fraternity, Inc. I wanted to be a Phi Sig and I refused to be denied. 

My first tagging of the Surf Board.

   The whole first semester of my freshman year I went to every recruitment event. I knew I needed grades to get considered and would need to wait until the next semester, but I wanted to make my interest known. Slowly, but surely, I watched a large number of my friends go Greek. My best guy friend, John, (within the first two weeks of school mind you) accepted a bid from Phi Kappa Tau. Lynette dragged me along to the Bid Card signing for IFC and I got to see him go in all dressed up and then come out looking so excited to announce that HE was going to be a PKT. On top of that, my female friends slowly started going Greek too. Stephanie, a girl on my hall I had bonded with over choir and Hanson, got her bid into Phi Sigma Sigma as we were walking to her room from the bathroom. That was definitely an interesting experience and I was so happy for her. As all this went on I waited. I had friends who were in the same boat. We had to wait until Spring Semester to go through Formal Recruitment because of the credit requirement and we were fine with that because we still got to hang out. 

That's John. Phi's gotta stick together. All the way to graduation.

   I probably spent more time in the then Phi Sig Suite than my own room. It was either movie nights or video games or talking about everything and nothing. I would not change it for the world. They were there for me even when I wasn't a sister when I needed someone. When Spring Semester finally arrived I was SO excited. Minus the fact that I couldn't hang out with half of my friends due to rules that attempt to keep formal recruitment fair. 

Phi Sig Suite Antics (Stephanie, Me, Emily)

   So Formal Recruitment started and I went to parties with each of the sororities for 3 days. Then came Preference Night. I was invited back to Phi Sigma Sigma's pref and I was overjoyed. Though I had enjoyed getting to know women in the other organizations on my campus I knew exactly where I wanted to be. To be honest, I cried during that ceremony. It was beautiful and I got to share with people I had become insanely close with. And then I had to wait. That night my friend, Christine and I, both slept in my room and by slept I mean we actually just stayed up the whole night in eternal anxiety. The next morning we received a call telling us to come to the Student Activities Office in a white shirt to receive our bids. When I walked into that office and opened the envelope to find a bid card from Phi Sigma Sigma I nearly cried, and by cried I mean I jumped up and down and squealed like a crazed school girl. That is still one of the best moments of my life. 

Picture of the Best Moment Ever. (2/9/09)

   The actual best moment came later though. It was when we lined up outside the Bid Day room to be introduced to our new sisters. I was first in line. I put myself there because I could not wait any longer. I walked into that room and I have never felt more wanted or loved than in that moment when 20 or so women that I admired so much rushed at me and hugged me so hard that I wasn't actually standing on my own feet at the time. I will never forget that moment. It is the single most amazing moment of my life to date. That was February 9, 2009. I was initiated into the Wonderful sisterhood of Phi Sigma Sigma Fraternity, Inc. on March 28, 2009. 

That's my Greek Family up top and down below, we rock for Kidneys.

   To this day I will always say that going Greek was my best decision in college. It brought so many things. I became a leader on campus (President of Equality Alliance and Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society 2011-2012). I took part in philanthropy and charity (Rock-a-thon, Special Olympics, Relay for Life, and Marlins Make A Difference Day). I became friends with some of the most amazing fraternity men (Sigma Nu, Phi Kappa Tau, and Kappa Alpha Order) and sorority women (Sigma Sigma Sigma, Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Zeta Phi Beta). We made a difference on our campus and we spoke out when we thought it necessary. There were good times and bad. I learned to fight for what I believed in and not allow people's judgements of me change who I am. I learned to be strong in my identity and own my choices. I became the woman that I always wanted to be. The woman that my sisters and the legacy of Phi Sigma Sigma helped form me into. 

My first year as an Alumni.

   Phi Sigma Sigma's open motto is Diokete Hupsula, which is Greek for Aim High. We were founded in New York, New York at Hunter College on November 26, 1913 by a group of women who wanted to be in the same fraternity for women and couldn't because they were not of the same faith. So they made their own, the first secular Greek organization. My founders were suffragettes, teachers, nurses, amazing and inspiring women. 100 years later, my sisterhood is still full of amazing and inspiring women who take life and make it what they want it to be. 

   I found a home with a group of women who accepted me for who I was and am. So, if you are heading off to college, don't count Greek Life out. We aren't all about hazing and cultishness. It's not paying for your friends. It's finding your place, your people. I definitely found mine because

Once a Phi Sigma Sigma, Always a Phi Sigma Sigma. 

And Then It Was Over...

Originally Posted: 11/13/12

         This past Fall I had the amazing opportunity to work with Organizing for America, the grassroots operation for Barack Obama's re-election campaign, as a Fellow and then Deputy Field Organizer. Interestingly enough, so did Leon. Actually, to my knowledge, our alma mater had 3 people working in the campaign in Virginia, which is incredible. I worked in the City of Norfolk with an amazing team of people I will never forget. I thought I would pop on here to give you all my thoughts on my experiences and what impact these teams actually have. I will leave Leon to tell his own story because his was likely very different from mine based on his home base. 

       First thing first, I have prior campaign experience. Let me give you a little perspective on my mindset going in. When I was just starting high school, a group of friends and I started a Young Dems Club at our school in Salem, VA (never heard of it? Most people haven't... It's in the Roanoke Valley.) and started volunteering with Tim Kaine's Gubernatorial Campaign right out of the gate in January. We did everything. Canvassing, phonebanking, attending events, passing out flyers, hanging door hangers, putting up yard signs, etc. Our first day, we got to shake hands with the Man himself, and his BFF, Mark Warner. It was mind boggling. The part that made me weary going into this campaign was people's utter lack of kindness when faced with differing opinions there. These people were my neighbors, they KNEW who we were. We explicitly stated we were part of the Salem High School Young Dems every time and they still cussed us out, slammed their doors, called us names, and hid from us. Southwestern Virginia is not a Democrat friendly place. I still look back on that time as an amazing experience that I would never replace, but it left me nervous about campaigning in Virginia. Even though I was in a completely different city, in a completely different area, I was nervous and careful going into this.

       I can easily say Norfolk proved me wrong. The people in Norfolk were incredibly kind and respectful. I had a few anomalies of that, but overall it was a much better environment. I started as a Fellow, unpaid staff. I went in because Barack Obama was the best choice for this country, because he is the only person in this ENTIRE country that has ever been able to make me feel proud to be an American. As time went on I was promoted to Deputy Field Organizer, which was a Godsend with all these student loans breathing down my neck. The volunteers were amazing. They just walked in sometimes on lunch breaks or right after work just to try and help. People bringing us food because they knew we were all 20-somethings, mostly from out of state, who did not have the time to run out and get food. People bringing us supplies just because they wanted to. There was one woman (she was incredible). She came in EVERYDAY to make calls for one of the Field Organizers. She was also one of the best dressed people to come in. By that I mean she owned more Barack Swag than any other person I have ever met. I had a volunteer that could knock every door in her neighborhood (hundreds of doors) in a day. She is an amazing person and kept our spirits up and our bellies full throughout my time there. The people of Norfolk are the most important reason that we were able to do what we did there and why Norfolk was the city that tipped Virginia in favor of the President.

       What Barack Obama has been able to do through the use of grassroots organizations throughout the country as a part of his campaign is unprecedented. I have never seen anything like this in the form of a Presidential campaign. It reminded me so much of state level campaigning it was insane to think that it was happening in every city and county in the country. We developed connections with the people, their neighborhoods, their neighbors. We discovered what these people cared about and what we could do for them. We fought misinformation and doubts. Grassroots organizations have so much more of an impact than I could have ever expected. Mitt Romney underestimated Barack Obama's ground game, us. I watched happen over the two months I was working there. People realizing that it is essential that they actually go to the polls, realizing that Romney really had a chance to be President if they didn't. I watched the people around me work long, hard hours passionately because each of them believed that every second could mean a win or loss. I, literally, watched and participated in the changing of the world. Talking to people is more important than putting up a yard sign. That contact is  everything. That is where Mitt Romney lost Virginia in my opinion. He put up a bunch of yard signs, made a bunch of speeches, but he never took the time to listen to people's stories or to really talk to them. 

Region 11 Election Results Watching - Photo Credit Grace Choi 

        On Election Day, once 7pm had come and gone, we sat in a room, about 25 of us, in Chesapeake with staff from the other offices and watched the results. It was nerve wracking. The thought "Did I do enough?" kept playing through my mind. The first big victory came. Tim Kaine would be Virginia's new Senator over George Allen. I thanked a few lucky stars and kept watching. The numbers were so close. Then out of nowhere, my Field Organizer exclaims "We Won!" For a second no one moved. We thought it was too early, only 11:13pm. But then it settled in and the jumping and screaming happened. Barack Obama had won the country, but not Virginia yet. We didn't go to sleep. We waited to see how WE had done. Eventually, every city/county had reported...except Norfolk. It was down to us. What we had done. We were watching the numbers with bated breath. They rolled in and we could not believe it. Norfolk was won. It was won with one hell of a margin. Everything we worked towards had been worth it. This happened at 1:00am. Romney waited another half hour to concede and Obama gave his Victory Speech shortly after 2:00am. 

(Photo Credits: Banez and Melissa) My Team, My Family, Region 11

       That was the best experience of my life. It will be for a long time. We had an impact. More voters turned out than ever before. Almost every precinct grew in numbers and increased their margins. Closing that office a couple days ago was the most bittersweet moments I have ever experienced. Volunteers came in and helped us and we had dinner one last time. Even before that the staff had our 'last lunch' before people started heading home, mostly to other states. It was an incredible experience. To be completely honest, I deeply advise that anyone who has a similar chance should take it. Just do it, don't think about it, don't try to get more than you are given out of it. Just do it. You'll thank me later.