It’s probably hard for a young person
to prioritize civic engagement when
they don’t even have a place to live or
when they’re dealing with mentalhealth
struggles.
Absolutely. They’re just trying to survive.
… I have an extremely hard time
getting those youth who are just trying
to survive and looking for their next
meal to care about what’s going on at
the Capitol. You know, that’s just the
nature of poverty. So that’s been one of
our challenges, I think, throughout our
40-year history, is getting those (people)
engaged. … We cannot leave (them) out
of the discussion. We cannot afford it.
What advice do you have for young
professionals who would like to
become leaders in their field?
and I still do — if you’re thinking about
applying for that leadership position,
or you’re thinking about accepting that
promotion, (and) you don’t feel like
you’re fully ready, fully qualified, or
you don’t see yourself as a leader, … I
would say just take the plunge. Take the
jump, and accept it, and do it. You don’t
have to be 100 percent fully prepared.
It’s when you’re in that position (that)
challenges and opportunities come to
you which allow you to grow into the
position. … It’s all a learning process.
… Secondly, it’s great to always have a
mentor or sponsor, even someone who
just will lend an ear sometimes.
Sena Christian is managing editor of
Comstock’s. Online at senachristian.com
and on Twitter @SenaCChristian.
A big thing, especially for young women
— because I struggled with this myself,
Advancing 21st Century Learning Environments
Greer Elementary School, Sacramento, CA
San Juan Unified School District
July 2020 | comstocksmag.com 29