NYC Politics With Vanessa Aronson

1) Can you tell me a little bit about your background and what led you to get involved in NYC politics?

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• Main Points

  • Vanessa traces her passion for government back to early childhood. A pivotal moment was being abroad during 9/11, which motivated her to understand international affairs. 

  • Her educational path—political science and the Pickering Fellowship—led to the State Department and the Foreign Service.

  • She always felt drawn back to domestic affairs. Teaching in NYC schools made her realize how crucial local government is, and prompted her to start local political work, inspired by figures like Mark Levine.

 

• Key Quotes:

  • “I've been interested in the government basically my whole life, and I can sort of pinpoint it to running for student council in kindergarten.”​

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• • “September 11th was the first time I learned what the State Department was, what a consulate was, and what a diplomat was, and that influenced me to apply for the Pickering Fellowship; I went to school for political science, the fellowship helped me get a master’s in public policy, and I joined the Foreign Service directly after grad school even though I kind of always knew my heart was going to be in domestic policy and politics, and when I was a New York City public school teacher I realized that city government, local government, is really what impacts us in our day‑to‑day lives.”

 

2) How did your perspective shift from international to local government, and why did this happen?

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• Main Points

  • Vanessa’s interest in both international and domestic issues shaped major educational and career decisions. 

  • She chose Harvard Kennedy for a strong domestic policy background, even while preparing for the Foreign Service. Participation in a bipartisan program for women in politics planted the seed for running for office. 

  • Ultimately, being in multicultural NYC let her maintain a global outlook even after transitioning to local politics

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• Key Quotes:

  • “I think foreign or international policy is always really important to me and still is a big part of who I am, and I think it is part of why I love New York, because I knew that if I left the Foreign Service I wanted to be in a very international city where I would still have exposure to that and still feel connected.”

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• • “I very specifically went to the Kennedy School at Harvard, which had both foreign and domestic policy, because I knew I was joining the Foreign Service but I also wanted a strong background in domestic policy, and that is where I did a program called From Harvard Square to the Oval Office, which recruits and trains women to run for office and planted the seed in me about running myself.”

3) What do you see as the most pressing political issues facing New York City today? And how does that compare to issues facing America as a whole?

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• Main Points​

  •  Vanessa connects local crises (housing) to national trends: increasing political influence of wealthy individuals and corporations.

  •  Special interests shape urban and national politics alike, creating broader divides and shifting priorities away from ordinary residents.

  • The top issue is cost of living and housing—specifically, affordability and access for the middle class.

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• Key Quotes:

  • “I think the cost of living, including housing, is really a pressing issue in New York City, and it is shifting what living in New York City looks like; little by little we are seeing the middle class being squeezed out of New York City, in particular Manhattan and in particular our neighborhood where we live.”

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• • “I think a root issue for a lot of that is special interests and money in politics, because we have seen big players spending a lot of money on city council and other races, and that plays a part in who the government is working for and in the division over who has access to living and thriving in New York City.”

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4) Can you break down who actually makes decisions in NYC politics, and the key roles—including city council, state legislators, and any other important positions?

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• Main points

  • City Council: Main legislative and oversight body, with members handling funds and constituent services locally.

  • Borough Presidents/Community Boards: Oversee local issues, land use, and business/licensing, with volunteer input.

  • Citywide Roles: Comptroller (finance), public advocate (mayor’s check), and mayor.

  • State Legislature: Controls major issues like education; legislators often have outside careers.

  • Influencers: Unions and lobbyists exert significant, sometimes opaque, influence.

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• Key Quotes:

  • “At the city level, the City Council is a unicameral legislative body that makes the laws for New York City, provides oversight of all of the city agencies, negotiates the budget with the mayor, and gives each council member discretionary funds they can use for local nonprofits, services, and constituent work in their district.”

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• • “In New York City politics each borough has a president who oversees the community boards, which are volunteer bodies that weigh in on land use decisions, liquor licenses, nightlife and small businesses, and at the citywide level there are three positions—the comptroller who handles city finances, the public advocate who is supposed to provide a check on the mayor, and the mayor—while unions and lobbyists also leverage a great deal of political power behind the scenes.”

5) What role do city and state governments play in addressing housing, education, and public safety?

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• Main points

  • Housing: Zoning and development are complex; recent laws (“City of Yes”) make building easier, but many approvals remain local.

  • Education: Standards are set by the state, but the city oversees day-to-day and can allocate extra funding.

  • Public Safety/Other Issues: Decision power varies depending on the specifics, often requiring coordination across agencies and levels. She highlights frequent confusion—and sometimes, politicians shifting blame between levels.

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• Key Quotes:

  • “If there is a development project in a district that would be taller or wider than what is normally allowed under local zoning laws, it goes through a few channels but ultimately comes down to a City Council vote, and the council member usually signals to colleagues, ‘This is how I’m voting and you should all follow suit,’ which gives them significant power over local housing decisions.”

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• • “In a housing crisis a big landmark piece of legislation that recently passed is City of Yes, which shifts some of these zoning laws and gives more flexibility to build higher or denser, while in education the requirements and accreditation are set at the state level but the actual implementation is at the city level, and City Council members can allocate additional funding to schools in their districts.”

6) What are some major misconceptions people have about local government?

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• Main Points:

  • Vanessa addresses myths about politicians (greed, corruption) and notes how bureaucracy is a feature of a city this large. 

  • She cautions against assuming bad intent or laziness, emphasizing that most in public service want to help.

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• Key Quotes:

  • “I think people assume elected officials are getting more money than they are or that there is more room for personal financial incentives than there actually is, and they have a really sinister view of the type of person who goes into politics when in fact most people are in it for the right reasons and, if you want to get rich quickly, there are many easier ways to do it.”

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• • “We talk about efficiency, but this is a really big city with a lot of people and a lot of moving parts and extra layers that are there specifically to ensure people are not taking advantage of the system, and I think sometimes when things are slow or opaque people just assume it is laziness or lack of will when, in fact, it is very complex.”

7) What are some examples of recent policies or changes that have significantly impacted NYC?

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• ​Main points: 

  • City of Yes: Promises lasting changes in how the city supports new housing—and where.

  • Mental Health: Declining funding/services has trickled down to homelessness, public order, and other urban problems. This was a central campaign issue for Vanessa.

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• Key Quotes:

  • “We haven’t fully seen the impact of it yet, but City of Yes is going to be pretty big because it will change the way development, and particularly hopefully housing, is created in the city, with the goal that there will be more development in other parts of the city and not just on the Upper East Side.”

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• • “We have seen a decrease and deprioritization of mental health services in New York City, which I believe is at the root of a lot of what we are seeing play out on our streets—from more people experiencing homelessness on the street to retail theft and subway fare evasion—and little by little, as the city and the state withdrew or lowered funding and as there is a shortage of mental health professionals willing to work in the public system, that problem has crept up on us.”

8) What advice do you have for young people who want to make an impact in their local community? How can students and young people get involved in NYC politics?

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• ​Main points: 

  • Apply to local community boards (age minimum: 16).

  • Join political clubs and volunteer for campaigns.

  • Network and talk with people across the political sphere—connections open doors in politics.

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• Key Quotes:

  • ​“In New York City, the community board is made up of volunteers, and there are some slots on each community board that are held for high school students, so across the city we have seen more teens get involved, and their perspective is certainly welcome in a space that often skews older.”

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• • “Similarly, if political stuff is interesting, there are local political clubs all across the city that love having youth energy, lots of elected officials love having interns, volunteering on a campaign is a great way to get involved, and one of the things I believe in, particularly in politics, is just talking to people because you never know what connection might bring you to the next connection if you share what your interests are.”

 

​Transcript 

 

Lauren: Can you tell me a little bit about your background and what led you to get involved in NYC politics?

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Vanessa Aronson: Sure. So I've been interested in the government basically my whole life, and I can sort of pinpoint it to running for student council in kindergarten. And our teacher asked who wanted to be the representative for the class, and I raised my hand, and that was a really empowering experience.

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And so I continued to run for student council all through elementary school, middle school, and high school. I studied abroad during my junior year of high school in Spain. I arrived overseas, the end of August 2001. So, I experienced September 11th from overseas. And I share that because that sort of added an interesting part of my career. Because I was a minor, I was only 16 overseas, so the State Department contacted me. I was living with a host family, and I said, Hey, are you okay? Do you want to go home? What do you want to do?

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September 11th, and that was the first time I learned what the State Department was, what a consulate was, and what a diplomat was, and that influenced me, in which I ultimately applied for a fellowship when I was in college. So I went to school for political science, but then I applied for a fellowship with the State Department called the Pickering Fellowship.

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And that's what ultimately brought me into the Foreign Service. So I went to college for political science, and the Pickering Fellowship helped me get a master's in public policy. And then I joined the Foreign Service directly after grad school, even though I kind of always knew my heart was going to be in domestic policy and politics.

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So I left the Foreign Service, was still very interested in politics, but much more, like many people are, sort of had a bigger view of, like, the national picture. I left the Foreign Service in 2014, so we had a big presidential election coming up. But during that time, I was a New York City public school teacher.

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And that's where I realized that city government, local government, is really what impacts us. On our day-to-day. So it was then, about 11 years ago, that I got involved in local politics and joined my local Democratic club. I met Mark Levine, who is now our democratic nominee for comptroller. He is also a former teacher who became a city council member. He had just won his first term in the city council when I met him, and went to the same grad school as me. And so that was someone whose career I looked up to and thought, you know, that was cool.

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Lauren: That's so nice. How would you say, kind of just adding on to what you were saying, you said at first you were interested more in the foreign relations of government, and then you went more to domestic, and then you really honed in, obviously, on the city aspect of just the community. How would you say your perspective on that changed, and why do you think it changed?

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Vanessa Aronson: I mean, I think the foreign, or international policy, is always really important to me, and still is a big part of who I am, and I think it's part of why I love New York. I don't think I could have settled down in any city. I think part of what allowed me to leave the Foreign Service was knowing that I was going to be in a very international city, where I'd still have exposure to that, and still feel connected, but I've always really felt a strong calling for both and honestly, that's why I chose, when I went to graduate school, I was choosing between, since we were talking about some schools, I was choosing between, Georgetown, which has the School for Foreign Service. Princeton has the Woodrow Wilson School. And those are both very international-focused, and I knew I was joining the Foreign Service. I knew that that was my path because of the fellowship that I had.

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So I very specifically went to a school, I went to the Kennedy School at Harvard that had both because I knew I was like, well, I know I'm doing the Foreign Service thing, I also want to have a strong background in domestic policy, and actually, that's where I also did a program called from Harvard Square to the Oval Office, which is a program that recruits and trains women to run for office. It's a bipartisan program that tries to encourage, specifically women, but also people from populations that don't usually get the opportunity to run for office, and expose them to that world. It gives them some of the basic tools for…what a campaign would look like. I mean, this was a long time ago, so….but it at least sort of planted that seed in me.

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Lauren: That's so fascinating. I would love to take that. Yeah, and then just another question I had was, what do you see as the most pressing political issues facing New York City today? And then is that very different from what's facing America today, or how are they similar, and how are they different?

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Vanessa Aronson: Yeah, there's a lot, but I do think they're interconnected. I think the cost of living, including housing, is really a pressing issue in New York City, and it's shifting what living in New York City looks like. Little by little, we're seeing the middle class being squeezed out of New York City, in particular Manhattan, and in particular our neighborhood where we live. It is becoming less and less accessible and affordable. And the divide between the luxury housing and then subsidized housing is widening, so there's less on the market for… for people who don't fit into either of those two brackets. And especially from what I just experienced.

I think a root issue for a lot of that is special interests and money in politics. And I think that that's very much connected to pressing issues at the national level. I think what we've seen all across the country. In the past 20 years, it has been more and more corporations have been getting involved in politics. More and more very wealthy individuals.

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You know, choosing to prop up candidates, and we saw that in New York City, not just in my race, but across the city. We had a lot of big players spending a lot of money on the city council and other races. So, like Uber, DoorDash, and other special interests. And I think that plays a part in who the government is working for, and I think part of maybe why we're seeing such a division between who has access to living and thriving in New York City.

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Lauren: Yeah, that's a really good point. I couldn't agree more. Even when I would do the phone banking for you, that was a very pressing issue that many people brought up, and I think some people say that they're promoting that, and then on the other hand, they're also spending a lot of money on other things that completely contradict what they're saying. And then for the broader audience, do you think that you could break down who actually makes decisions in New York City politics, and what are the key roles, from city council to state legislators, and then other roles that I'm missing?

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Vanessa Aronson: Yeah, that's such a great question. So, at the city level, the city council is a legislative body, or a one-house legislative body. A unicameral legislative body and the City Council have four functions. They make the laws for the city charter of New York City, provide oversight of all of the city agencies, they negotiate the budget with the mayor. So, the mayor proposes a budget, and then there's a robust budget negotiation between the City Council and the mayor, which often takes months. And then each city council member has their own discretionary funds that they can use to support, whether it be local nonprofits or other services, and also their constituent services within their district. So they have their own office in their district, and they respond to constituent concerns. And they also promote the well-being of the district.

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​In New York City politics, each borough has a president and that president, one of the main functions is to provide oversight of the community boards, which is a volunteer position, and each community district, which is different from a city council district has 50 volunteers that are appointed by the City Councilmember and the Borough President and they weigh in on land use decisions. They're the body that issues licenses for liquor licenses, nightlife, and small businesses. They handle landmark applications for when people want to make changes to different landmarked buildings. 

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Each of the agencies in New York City has its own purview. The commissioner of each of them is appointed by the mayor. 3 positions are citywide. There's the comtroller, which handles all the finances for the city. There's the public advocate who, at one point, used to be the deputy mayor, but it's supposed to provide a check on the mayor, and then the mayor. Those are the three citywide positions. The city has a different purview than state law.

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​But the city budget is actually bigger than the state budget, so that's an interesting thing in New York City. Even as elected officials, a city council member is a full-time position with an annual salary, and you are not allowed to have a second job as a city council member. However, the State Assembly and state senate are part-time jobs, technically. And you can have another job. However, in New York City, most don't, because it's a big job, and we have high standards. But across the state, a lot of elected officials are also lawyers and collect a paycheck. And technically, they're only in session January through June. They can spend the second half of the year in the district, and then, January through June, they're in Albany. So your question on who decides what sort of depends on the issue.

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For example, schools. Education is controlled by the state, but the New York City Department of Education is the largest education program in the country. So it's a little bit tricky when the governing body is at the state level, but the local Department of Education is actually implementing. It's a huge system, but at a level that would be a school district in another city. And then the mayor appoints all of the panel for education policy, which is our equivalent of the school board. We have elections in each district. The Community Education Council, so those are sort of, like, sub-communi… sub-school boards.

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And then I guess, in terms of who makes decisions, I do want to note that there's a lot of influence beyond elected or appointed positions, especially in New York City, so…unions play a pretty big role in New York City politics in particular. They are very involved in electoral politics. So, endorsements are a big deal in New York City politics, and the unions all get involved.

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And what that means is that they leverage a lot of political power, even if they technically aren't part of that, and lobbyists. You know, as I mentioned, there are a lot of corporate interests in New York City; it is a huge financial center of the world, and there is quite a bit of money, resources, and human resources. In lobbying in New York City, there is a very robust lobbying field that you can't deny has a lot of influence on decision-making in politics.

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Lauren: Yeah, 100%. I think just even going through the different roles in a city is so important, because I think people tend to overlook the different roles, and they think, oh, just the mayoral election's the biggest, and I even when I was volunteering for you, I even found that when I was trying to get people to vote, or even just understand what the election was, people tend to not….

Even knowing someone who's representing for the city council, they don't even know, and I think it's so important that they actually do make many decisions, and there are so many different roles that have such different roles in the city. Yeah, and so you went into, like, basically how the state and the city interact, but what role do you think that they play in addressing issues like housing, education, and public safety, which were things that you brought up so many times in even the election?

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Vanessa Aronson: So, it kind of depends on whether or not the… It's a specific… like, it can be related to housing or education, and be very….specific to the district. In which case, the electors for that district, whether it be the city council or the state assembly, can have quite a bit of decision-making power. So, for example, if there is a development project in the district that is looking to you know, so let's say it's housing, because we're talking about housing, and I think everybody across the city acknowledges that there's a housing crisis right now, a lack of supply.

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So, we're seeing more development applications. That would be taller or wider than what's normally allowed under local zoning laws, so each…. and this is different from any other districts that I talk about. School districts are different from city council districts, they're different from community districts, and zoning districts are even different.

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​But each plot of land you can map out New York City, each block has different things that it's allowed and it can even be separate, in the block, so you and I are on the Upper East Side, a building on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 74th, which is where I live is allowed to build to a different height than if you were in the middle of the block.

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Because the decision is that if you're at the corner, you can build higher, because it's a little bit more open. In a housing crisis, a big landmark piece of legislation that recently passed was the City of Yes, which shifts some of these zoning laws and gives a little bit more flexibility to projects to build either higher or denser than what is usually allowed in whatever plot that they're in.

But if there was a project in our current council member, Keith Powers' district, that was trying to do something very… in whatever way, from what's currently allowed, it goes through a few different channels, but ultimately it's a city council vote. And that council member usually gets to tell their colleagues, This is how I'm voting, and you should all follow suit. That's shifting a little bit now, or at the state level.

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One of the things that was really a contentious issue in the City Council campaign, even though I kept saying it's not decided at the City Council level, is a casino. So the governor has approved one casino license in Manhattan, and there are 3 different sites. And ultimately, it will be the state legislature that decides they're bidding on the different sites.

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But who approves whether or not that casino can go there, unless it's trying to build in some way, outside of what is allowed by zoning, at which point it would go to the city council. But currently, the one that's not our neighborhood, but it's on the east side, is, they call it as of right, which means you don't need City Council approval to build it. So, housing is a very salient issue because of these complexities. Education, The City Council… so, again, the laws and what the requirements are for you to graduate high school, and the accreditation for your school is all decided at the state level. But… the actual implementation of education, in public education, is at the city level.

 

And funding…. additional funding can be allocated by the City Council member. So that happens a lot. The school my son just finished preschool at is getting a roof deck put on over the next 6 years. And that's the city council member who's found that funding for them. So it's… everybody has a little tiny piece of the puzzle. And so it requires a lot of coordination, a lot of understanding. Who has what authority? Sometimes, though, you'll see elected officials take advantage of that when they don't want to, well, they'll take advantage of it if it's an issue they don't want to deal with, they'll say, well, that's not my issue. We can't do that to you, yeah. But it can be confusing. It can really be confusing, and there's even…a lot of iterations have played out through the years, but there's a lot of new territory. We have to figure out, like, things like technology, or AI, don't fit in a little box as easily. And so it sort of depends on the subject. But, even whether or not kids can have phones in schools. It can be a little bit tricky as to who actually gets to decide that.

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Lauren: Yeah, that's such a good point. Kind of adding on, what would you say are some major misconceptions that people have about the local government? Obviously, you said some parts's kind of like a puzzle, and some people are actually saying, oh, well, this is not my job, but what do you think from, like, the people's perspective, do they not have the right idea about?

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Vanessa Aronson: That's a really good question. I think elected officials are getting more money than they are, or that there's more room for financial incentives than there actually is. Now, with the caveat that we did see that our current mayor did take advantage of bribery, but even while it is terrible and wrong, it's actually at a relatively small scale, given his platform as a mayor.

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Vanessa Aronson: I think a lot of the illegal contributions that he accepted toward his campaign didn't go to him; you don't take a salary from your own campaign contributions, so I think people have a really sinister view of the type of person who goes into politics in the first place, and that can sometimes shift. Sometimes it means that they're approaching decision-making from a reactive standpoint. Like, if you're already somewhat prejudiced against your elected official, you're not going to give them the benefit of the doubt that they really weighed all of the issues and considered things that might be beyond your scope. So I do think that most people are in it for the right reasons. If you want to get rich quickly, there are many easier ways to do it. And so, I think that's a misconception.

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And I think maybe it's just also a misconception of just how vast, especially the city government, is. We talk about efficiency, and I think especially people who work in the corporate sector can see a lot of bureaucracy, which, believe me, there is in government, but this is a really big city with a lot of people and there's a lot of moving parts and there's a lot of extra layers that are there specifically to ensure that people aren't taking advantage of the system. I think sometimes, when things are slow or opaque, I'm like, they should be better, they absolutely should be better, but I think sometimes people just assume that it's laziness, or a lack of will. When, in fact, I think it's just very complex.

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Lauren: Yeah, I find it fascinating what you said about how people have certain prejudices about certain people, and you don't even want to give them a chance, you don't think that… because even if they made one mistake or something, that it's sort of rude it's, like, the end-all be-all, and I think, yeah, even I've had some judgment about certain people because of one thing that they did, but I think especially when you're looking at such a big role like the mayor, you have to sort of take into account why they're actually being the mayor and what they want to do for the city. So I think that's super important.

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Vanessa Aronson: Yeah, I always found it there as someone who cared about the government growing up, for whatever reason, I was not connected to the government, I just, like, I drank the Kool-Aid, and I believe in it. I think that there are just across the country, there's so much skepticism of government politics, and that's always bothered me. I feel like the private sector is telling you they want your money, and we trust the private sector implicitly. But for some reason, a lot is going on in the current government right now, but I do think.

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Even in our current state of division across the country, a lot of that is driven by a deep mistrust of the government. And I don't know, and I believe that the vast majority of people who are in the government, whether it be through politics or through civil service or whatnot, are really trying to do it for the right reasons.

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Lauren: Yeah, I feel like, you hear about that so much now, people are like, politics, oh no, but even when people ask me what I'm interested in and I say politics and international relations, they're like, oh my god, that's not where you want to be right now. I'm like, but you're not thinking about the whole picture. Maybe they're judging just one single person of what is happening to our country right now, but that's not what politics is.

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Vanessa Aronson: Yeah. We're gonna prove them wrong, Lauren. We're gonna be the good ones!

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Lauren: It's so frustrating! They're like, explain why you would want to be involved in politics right now. I'm like,  you're just saying that because of the state that we're in right now. It's a very fascinating topic. Anyway, adding on to a question I asked before, but what would you say are some examples of policies or changes that have significantly impacted the city recently?

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Vanessa Aronson: Yeah, I mean, I was thinking about this question when I talked about the City of Yes. We haven't fully seen the impact of it yet, but it is going to be pretty big. So that will change the way, uh, development, and particularly, hopefully, for housing is created in the city, and we….Well, I mean, we definitely see a lot of development here on the Upper East Side, but I think the hope is that there will be a lot more in other parts of the city. So, in outer boroughs, your transit, in communities that just are not as built up as ours right now, so that will be a big change.

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Another is this is a lack of policy, something that was very central to my campaign is, we've seen a decrease and deprioritization of mental health services in New York City and I believe that's at the root of a lot of what we're seeing play out on our streets, whether it be the increase in people experiencing homelessness on the street, which is different than people who are, you know, unhoused, but in shelters. Also, even things like retail theft or subway fare evasion, I think as a city, we're seeing more individuals who seem like they're suffering from a mental illness, and we're not… like, I'm much less willing to intervene than I would 10 years ago. If I saw a teenager jump the turnstile 10 years ago, I'd be like, Hey, I paid for that!

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And I'm not saying that would be a hero, but….I think even MTA employees were willing to step in more, or police and I think because there's a lot of people not receiving mental health services that they need we're all a little bit walking on eggshells, just sort of not sure, I just think it's a root of a lot of issues, and something that I think is unfair to everyone. So that's something that I think has been, little by little, as the city and the state withdrew funding, or lowered funding, as there's currently a shortage of mental health professionals in New York City. And so we're seeing fewer and fewer people who are willing to work in the public system. Little by little, that's a problem that's crept up on us.

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Lauren: I'm glad you brought that up, because that's such an important issue that I feel like isn't talked about that much anymore, and people say it's an issue, but then there's nothing really progressing with that, so yeah, I think that's so key and so important. My last question would be, what advice do you have for young people who want to make an impact in their local community? And how can students and younger people in general get involved in NYC politics?

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Vanessa Aronson: Yeah, well, so there's, first, a couple of very concrete ways. In New York City, I talked about the community board, which is made up of volunteers. It is kind of a big commitment, but there are some slots on each community board that are saved or held for high school students. So I believe you have to be 16 now is the minimum age. But across the city, we've seen more teens get involved on the community board, and I think their perspective is certainly welcome in an area that is often more skewed to older individuals. When I was on the community board, I was one of the very youngest at 36 at the time. So, I know that if folks are interested, that's really hyper-local.

 

They should reach out to their city council member, reach out to the borough president, and look online. I think applications are in, like, January, February, and usually appointments come out in April. But you can start going to meetings, or you can watch them online and get involved. They're definitely starving for young perspectives.

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So that's a commitment, but it is a really great way to get involved. Similarly, if political stuff is interesting, there are local political clubs all across the city. They too often skew to an older demographic, so I used to be the president of the local Democratic club here, the Lexington Democratic Club. And we would try to be as welcoming and as accommodating to young people as we can, because again, we love to have that energy and that perspective, so that's a great way, I think..just, you know, reading the news. However biased it is, you know..lots of elected officials love having interns. Volunteering on a campaign is a great way to get involved.

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There are lots of opportunities, and one of the things I believe in, career advice just generally, but particularly in politics, is just talking to people, because you never know what connection might bring you to the next connection. So the more you try to just talk to people, share what your interests are, the more people can try to steer you in the right direction.

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Lauren: Yeah, that's amazing advice, I love that. I mean, all the things that you were saying about volunteering, obviously, I did the volunteering on a campaign, but I would love to, like, expand my knowledge and keep going with this, so that's so important.