Like many, I joined JSA during my freshman year. What I expected, based on the description I was given, was a debate team. What I found was so much better, and so much more.
I was eager to get involved with JSA in any way I could. Two months after joining JSA, I attended my first-ever convention: the 2008 SER Fall One Day. It was certainly more than what I bargained for; in fact, it was more than I imagined (of course, getting into an argument with then-Governor Nahal Jalali about gay marriage was certainly unexpected). So, I decided from there that I wanted to take the next step up. While it was too late to pay for that year's Fall State, I made certain that I would be at Congress 2009.
It was at Congress 2009 that I got my first true taste of JSA, unlike the Costco sample I got at the One Day. I sponsored a bill on welfare reform and toyed with the idea of running for SER Senator, which I ultimately decided against. In hindsight, I'm glad I did--because the best was certainly yet to come.
My sophomore year began with me receiving my first Cabinet position: Legislative Coordinator in the Speaker's Department. This is where I first gained interest in running for Speaker of the Assembly. The Speaker that year, Jairus Nytes, was also my chapter president, and, on Cabinet, my boss. While he and I rarely ever saw eye-to-eye, he taught me very much about the office of Speaker, about JSA, and about activism. I knew the experience that I gained there would someday help me.
That February, at Congress, I served as a Republican Whip and co-sponsored the flagship bill (medical malpractice/tort reform) with Matt Saunders. I decided I would, this time, run for SER Senator. While it certainly was a campaign to remember, I eventually lost to two JSAers who I now respect very much: Andrew Leontis (who is running for Governor) and Liam Nuebling (who is running for re-election to SER Senator). Looking back, I'm glad I lost, because it gave me a clearer look at running for Speaker.
This past August, I attended the UCLA Institute on Media and Politics, and was appointed the state's first-ever Sergeant-at-Arms. While I did not get the fortune of serving in the Speaker's Department yet again, my work in the Convention Department certainly has been a fantastic experience. And more recently, at Congress, I co-chaired the Republicans with Liam Nuebling, sponsored another bill on welfare reform, and declared my candidacy for Speaker of the Assembly--and so, the ride begins.
