FEATURED
Caleb Rowden
Missouri State Senator
What do you remember most about Middle School?
My middle school experience was interesting because I was the first class to
attend Gentry Middle School in Columbia when Columbia made the decision
to move to a middle school format. So we attended the first half of our year
at Mill Creek and then moved into the new building at Christmas break. So
getting to go to middle school at a new school in a new building was a pretty
cool experience.
What advice would you give to Middle Schoolers to-
day?
It’s never too early to be thinking about what you want to do with your life.
Education in high school and certainly college is becoming more custom-
izable, and you have opportunities to get ahead if you are willing to take
advantage of them.
When and why did you decide to be a politician?
I just wanted to help the community that I grew up in, in some way. I joined
a Rotary and the local Chamber of Commerce and just started attending
more events, etc. That led to a couple of conversations about maybe running
for City Council, which led to a conversation about running for State Repre-
sentative. My motivation has always been to serve — I never really thought
and still don’t think this is something I will do for a big portion of my life, but
I certainly enjoy the opportunity and am trying to be as effective as I can
during my time of public service.
What does your job consist of?
I am in legislative session from mid-January to mid-May. During session, I
am in Jefferson City most days introducing legislation, attending committee
hearings, spending lots of time on the Senate floor, and working to pass good
legislation to benefit the people of Missouri. During the interim, I attend a
lot of events and remain as active as I possibly can in the community. It is a
“part time” job technically, but we usually spend 60+ hrs a week working to
represent and engage the district and its people.
22
May/June 2017