20-Something Pols Urge High Schoolers To Jump In
Youth politics came to a New Haven high school Monday — and students saw up close how running for office can make a difference.
The occasion was a visit by two 23-year-old legislators Westport State Sen. Will Haskell and Hamden Councilman Justin Farmer —to juniors at Metropolitan Business Academy on Water Street.
Civics teacher Julia Miller — who has the phone numbers of U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy printed large on her classroom wall — invited Farmer and Haskell to kick off her unit on voting and the electoral process.
The two pols told 100 high school juniors spoke about how they explain Snapchat to their older colleagues, and about the profound responsibilities of being youthful legislators.
“I want students to see examples of young people who have actually run for and won elected offices so they [my students] feel inspired and see it as something actually attainable to do,” Miller said.
Eleventh grade Class President Demarques Stevens and Vice-President Amy Rodriguez posed questions to the visiting pols, including asking why they chose to run for office.
