This past year has been quite an interesting one in terms of the government and politics, to say the very least. On November 9, Donald Trump was elected president, causing many mixed emotions. For many high school students, this was the first time they kept so up-to-date with current events. Whether a student was a fervent Clinton supporter or a Trump enthusiast, the morning after Donald Trump was elected was quite an emotional day for everyone.

The biggest regret Clinton supporters have is that not everyone eligible to vote voted. The notion that one vote doesn’t matter is outright false. Every vote mattered and matters even in the future. This past election, more than ever, each vote mattered—the race was a close one. Even if someone is not eligible to vote yet, there are many other ways to be politically active and influence the government.

You don’t have to be 18 years or older to be politically active. The first step in being politically active is keeping up with current events. Keeping updated on current events is as easy as just watching the news every night or reading the news. There are many people who argue that they don’t have time to watch television every day; in this case, one can still follow or like news websites on social media. Instead of listening to music on the radio in the morning, you could listen to a news radio station. Politics is a subject that is important to learn because it impacts every citizen’s daily life, including yours. Once politically educated, it is important to make others aware of political issues as well. It is very important to share your opinions, ideas and knowledge because if people are not aware, no change will ever occur. Helping others to become more politically aware is considered being politically active as well and this can be as simple as writing a post on Facebook, writing for the local paper, or even joining a form of a political club or organization.

Anusha Siddaramanna ‘17 also adds that “some ways to be more politically active can include joining some kind of organization. An even bigger step could be to write to the House of Representatives or the White House.” The local politicians are always easily contactable, so an option to spread awareness of an issue could be to reach out to a local politician. You could even attend a politician’s rally.

But such big gestures are not needed to show political involvement. An example of a club that a student at Ridge can join at school to be more politically active is Model UN.

Our generation is so social media and technology savvy that we could start a revolution through social media, if we were passionate enough. Awareness and change can be brought upon by a simple hashtag.

Rohan Jinturkar ‘19 shares, “The first step is helping people realize the value of their vote by spreading awareness. Our representatives influence our daily lives, and we can alter the laws that govern us based upon who we elect. If residents understand how much of an impact they can have, they are more likely to vote and make a difference.”