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"Passion and Dedication" - Sam Widener
Sam just finished his junior year of high school but has already dedicated a lot of his time to politics. He is the host of a conservative podcast, Northeast Director for High School Republican National Federation, and has worked on 7 political campaigns (Presidential, US Senate, State Senate, Governor x2, Board of Supervisors, Sheriff). What I found super impressive and interesting about Sam is that the reason he got into politics was that at a young age he noticed a lot of people liked to complain about the country and the political issues we faced but weren't doing much about it. So rather than join in on the complaining, he decided to get involved and try to do something to make things better. It speaks directly to his value of passion and dedication for what you believe in.
Many people, myself included at times, judge younger kids for getting involved in politics. The thought being they don't have enough perspective or aren't qualified to have an opinion. But I think there is a lot us older folk can learn from someone (at any age) who sees a problem and decides to take action to try to solve it. I was also really impressed by Sam's perspective. He is a conservative but he truly understands the importance of engaging in healthy dialogue with people who have different views. He believes in making his own decisions not just following party lines, even if that means some people in his own party might not like it.
We did spend some time towards the end of the conversation getting into some specific political issues too. We thought it would be good to try to model some of that healthy dialogue and explore topics like the Russia/Ukraine situation or gun control from different perspectives. I think it is obviously true that younger people can see the world in a simplified way (but to be fair so can a lot of adults), but I was really encouraged and impressed by Sam's willingness to listen to other perspectives and ultimately try to let the truth "win out" vs. a personal agenda or political beliefs. I really hope he keeps this approach as he continues his career in politics, as it is much needed.
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By Terry McMullen
5
2323 ratings
Sam just finished his junior year of high school but has already dedicated a lot of his time to politics. He is the host of a conservative podcast, Northeast Director for High School Republican National Federation, and has worked on 7 political campaigns (Presidential, US Senate, State Senate, Governor x2, Board of Supervisors, Sheriff). What I found super impressive and interesting about Sam is that the reason he got into politics was that at a young age he noticed a lot of people liked to complain about the country and the political issues we faced but weren't doing much about it. So rather than join in on the complaining, he decided to get involved and try to do something to make things better. It speaks directly to his value of passion and dedication for what you believe in.
Many people, myself included at times, judge younger kids for getting involved in politics. The thought being they don't have enough perspective or aren't qualified to have an opinion. But I think there is a lot us older folk can learn from someone (at any age) who sees a problem and decides to take action to try to solve it. I was also really impressed by Sam's perspective. He is a conservative but he truly understands the importance of engaging in healthy dialogue with people who have different views. He believes in making his own decisions not just following party lines, even if that means some people in his own party might not like it.
We did spend some time towards the end of the conversation getting into some specific political issues too. We thought it would be good to try to model some of that healthy dialogue and explore topics like the Russia/Ukraine situation or gun control from different perspectives. I think it is obviously true that younger people can see the world in a simplified way (but to be fair so can a lot of adults), but I was really encouraged and impressed by Sam's willingness to listen to other perspectives and ultimately try to let the truth "win out" vs. a personal agenda or political beliefs. I really hope he keeps this approach as he continues his career in politics, as it is much needed.