Hello,
My name is Luke. I am a 22 year old recent college graduate living in Washington, DC.
I have been focused on politics from a young age. Throughout high school, I was on the executive board of my school’s political magazine. I studied Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia and completed a summer internship program working as a writer and organizer at a political consulting firm in Ruckersville. I currently work remotely as a research assistant at a nonprofit in Arlington, conducting research regarding large corporations’ ESG policies and compiling the data into a readable form independently.
Aside from my professional work, I also have considerable independent experience with running large social media pages and communal organization. From 2020-2021, I built a TikTok platform through which I espoused my personal political views (which align closely with that of the party), reaching 15,000 followers and almost 2 million total likes. In addition, I ran my university’s Barstool page (30,000 followers). I’m aware that both of these things sound trivial, but an Interim State Lead should have experience in generating interest on a large scale and spreading our message in a clear, concise way that will speak to the greatest number of people possible. Social media has become arguably the single most important tool for energizing people, and my goal is to use these skills I have developed over the past few years to further a cause I believe in.
I have been closely watching Mr. Yang and the development of the Forward Party for a long time. I could write for ages regarding our country’s crises, but to keep a long story short, I believe that the country needs organizations like the Forward Party desperately. In my life thus far, I have seen our dysfunctional political system create nothing but destruction.
Our educational system is failing many of those who need it most, leaving communities in areas such as inner cities and rural towns cyclically impoverished. Our environmental policy is lacking at best and ignorant at worst, and instead of coming up with a logical plan to rework our economy to be more sustainable while keeping our people employed, we quibble and argue. Our nation’s infrastructure is so car-dependent that we suffer for it; an improved public transportation system and an increased emphasis on walkable communities would do so much to benefit our nation’s health, yet we are too busy arguing over property taxes. We are woefully unprepared to tackle the oncoming societal changes that increased automation would bring, and we are on course to see millions of working class Americans go hungry because we did not do enough to ensure their livelihoods NOW.
The list goes on. American communities are suffering in ways that many of us do not even have the tools to express. Our current political situation, which includes out-of-touch legislators who have served for decades uninterrupted and an impenetrable gridlock that unfairly simplifies our complex societal issues into two equally inaccurate extremes, is doing little to benefit the everyday lives of any Americans except those at the very top of the hierarchy.
These are things I spend time thinking about every single day, and I have been waiting for an opportunity to make a tangible change. The United States has afforded excellent opportunities for my own family. My parents were born into working class inner city immigrant communities, yet they were able to provide me with the foundation to acquire a good education and find opportunities to make an impact. Stories like that are what should set the United States apart. My primary goal is to do my part in making sure ALL families in the United States have that same access to opportunity and prosperity, and I believe that the Forward Party’s message is an excellent step in that direction, even in its early days.
I would be honored to help out in any way I can. I am very excited to hear back from you.