Up until my junior year of high school I was never fond of politics or the understanding of a government, but then the 2016 Presidential campaign was under way and I found myself intrigued with interest over the race for the White House and how our government was being conducted. Not to mention the countless events that were unfolding in America that made me want to learn more about the cause of the event and the outcome of it. 
After debates and discussions in history class I began to grow with more and more love for the political world and I was even considering changing career paths to study politics. I began developing my own opinion and started following the news, debates, and federal sessions more closely. I went from not having a care in the world about what the government did to now wanting to be as involved as possible and voice my opinion to everybody. However, it was not until April of 2016 that I got my first taste of the world of government first hand.

It was in Wilkes Barre where I attended a rally for a presidential candidate, Donald J. Trump. As I pulled into the packed arena parking lot I knew it was going to be exciting and adventurous night. It was a great feeling to know that everyone there believed the same ideas as I did and believed that this person would make those ideas a reality. Although this rally was influential, and played a major part in my political journey, I was still left undecided about a career. It was a few short months until I would have to apply to a college with a major. As time drew closer I was getting anxious, worried, and even made myself sick over choosing a major between a long love of biology or a new found love in politics. Then, in September of 2016, Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, was making an appearance in Dunmore at my father’s work office. I honestly had no interest in going to the rally since I was undecided about a major, but my father made me tag along with him since he was going for work and wanted me to experience this event. The whole day leading up to the rally I was troubled with the thought of going to this appearance of a very important political figure for the Presidential race, but I ended up attending the event with my father anyway.

As we pulled into the parking lot a small wave of excitement overcame me, but not enough to give me a thrill. After we passed through security and entered the room in which the rally would be held the feeling changed almost instantly. The moment I walked into the room, saw the people, the stage, the set up, and the atmosphere, I was overcome with joy and could not wait to see this man speak about the changes he and his partner would bring to America. I patiently waited for his appearance by conversing with other people interested in the words of the potential next Vice President of the United States of America. It never ceases to amaze me of the compassion and love the people at these events have for America and how hard they are willing to work for a better nation. For example, there was an American flag being raised by two cranes and almost all of the crowd gathered near the small opening to watch the flag rise, but it did not stop there. A man and his wife began to sing the National Anthem, and soon after they began singing, everyone else joined in. This however was only the beginning of the rest of the night.

Mike Pence was introduced and began his speech with policies that would be created, the compassion of his running mate, and his love for the American people. Just like the last rally, the excitement came back and the joy was overwhelming.  After he was finished speaking he came down near the crowd of people to sign autographs and take photos. I knew this would happen because of my previous experience at a political rally and I made sure to get up in the front of the crowd. As he moved closer to me I could feel myself get more and more excited, by the time he was in front of me, I was shaking as if he was a famous singer or movie star. I managed to get his autograph on a poster, a “selfie” with him, and even spoke a few short words with him! The joy was absolutely uncontainable because I had just been directly next to the Republican Vice President nominee. After this my father and I were ready to head home and I could not believe what had just happened, I ended up sharing the photo with my aunt who proudly posted it all over social media.

When leaving the premises I was ecstatic with the turn of events from that evening but more importantly, I finally learned what I wanted. As we drove past the open doors of the room where Governor and potential Vice President Mike Pence spoke, I could not stop thinking that in years to come I would be standing on a stage speaking to the people of America about the policies, issues, and changes I would make in the government. It was at that moment I knew I would declare my major in a field of government. The rally made me realize I wanted to make the country I love as extraordinary as our founding fathers wanted it to be. Meaning, I would make the government a government that is of the people, by the people, and most importantly for the people. I was extremely grateful to my father for making me accompany him to that event, otherwise I may not have made the decision of a major in government. Up until that night I was so sure there was nothing to convince me that going into government was where I needed to be going and that working in a hospital was just what I was going to do. However, after going to the rally, it made me realize, I was going to go into the field of government and help the people’s voice be heard to make America great again.