St Louis Born and raised
I grew up in Fenton, I went to Rockwood Summit High School, and when I was 17, my plan was to travel to the United Kingdom to study Botany at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London.
That all changed when 17 Students were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Prior to this I hadn’t gotten much into politics, I wore my #ImWithHer tee-shirt to class and minded my own business. In my head politics isnt what I wanted to do.
After the mass shooting at Parkland, Florida, friends began organizing. Friends in other school districts all over St Louis wanted to do something. I jumped in headfirst
We started organizing. More and more schools jumped on board. Student leaders from nearly 30 schools were in. Our Target? Then-Attorney General Josh Hawley. We knew he was running against incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill(D-MO) so we gathered outside his office. I told the Washington Post “Our idea is that right now Josh Hawley is the Republican front-runner, and that by doing this we may be able to help Claire McCaskill maintain her seat in the Senate,” .
After that things really sped up…
I started working with Cort VanOstran. We had been introduced at one of our meetings and I was all in to unseat Rep. Ann Wagner(R-MO).
That spring I graduated!
Then I promptly started a new job at NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, going door to door advocating for The Buffer Zone, to make sure protesters couldn’t block to driveway to Missouri’s last abortion provider.
I kept at it before the midterms, knocking doors for Rep. Paula Brown(D-Hazelwood), Rep. Kevin Windham(D-Pagedale), and Cort VanOstran.
By August I had been promoted at NARAL. I was a Freshman in college at Saint Louis University and now I had 10 employees. I was the field manager running our part of the campaign to pass Amendment 1 known as Clean Missouri and Proposition B to raise the state minimum wage.
Clean, Raise Up Missouri, Paula, and Kevin, all won their elections that November and we came the closest of any democrat to unseating Rep Wagner.
After November I couldn’t just sit still
I went to work for Senator Jamilah Nasheed(D-St Louis) when she ran for President of the City of St Louis Board of Alderman. I was exposed to a knew world of politics and series of elections in St Louis City. I got to help out Alderwomen Annie Rice(D-8th Ward) and Christine Ingrassia(D-6th Ward) in their re-election bids.
That March, Senator Nasheed came in second to incumbent Lewis Reid but today Annie and Christine still represent their wards.
Intermixed with all of this was tireless activism, I love this city, and their is a lot of work to be done.
I’m excited to take on a new set of challenges in 2020 as we fight to take back the White House, I manage a State Representative Campaign for Kim Linhares in District 90(Kirkwood), and now run for Democratic Committee person from my home township.