Primary Day is finally here!

After our very late night, we went to the office and got ready to canvass. The most important thing is to make sure voters know where they're supposed to be working and have the information necessary to cast their ballot. Dr. Cornel West kicked off canvassing in our office! It was an absolute pleasure meeting him.

After canvassing, we went to Bernie's Victory Rally to help the set-up and volunteer for the event. We had the pleasure of seeing a lot of people we had worked with for the entire trip, and were able to share our enthusiasm and pride of the hard work done in the Granite state. We exchanged numbers and made sure we would stay in touch in the future! 

We had the opportunity to listen to the Senator (again!) and hear him announce his victory in the New Hampshire primary!!! It was absolutely the most rewarding sentence I have ever heard. Our commitment and dedication was rewarded by a win in the FITN 2020 presidential primary and the chance to hear him declare that live. I will never forget this amazing experience and everything it has taught me. 

Here are some pictures to commemorate this amazing night! 

Last Bernie event in New Hampshire!

Senator Bernie Sanders announcing his win!

Today is Monday, the day before the First in the Nation Presidential Primaries of 2020!

We started our day bright and early to volunteer at our first event of the day: Breakfast with Bernie. As soon as we reached the venue we started to work, setting up the chairs, tables, press area, and food that would be served at the event. We helped check-in and general public seating, which is when one advance team members asked if I wanted to stand behind the Senator during the event! I was very excited by the opportunity and ability to cheer on Bernie for our first event of the day. We listened to two of Bernie's surrogates: Ben and Jerry (yes, the ice cream duo!).

After the Senator spoke to the public, I had the opportunity to meet him! We had a brief conversation and shook hands before he went on to the rest of the people that wanted to meet him as well. It was such an amazing experience and I will never forget it! He was incredibly inspiring and you can feel his passion and dedication in his voice.

Ben & Jerry!

Trevor Martindale and I meeting Senator Sanders!

USF Bernie Team at the podium where he spoke!

Myself practicing Bernie's speech (in case he ever needs me to substitute him)!

After the event, we went to the University of New Hampshire Durham campus for the GOTV rally with The Strokes! He also had Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Rep. Nina Turner, and Dr. Cornel West speak. I don't believe any other candidate has the power to turn a political rally into a rock concert where college students both hear the message and get to enjoy themselves after. It was the biggest event held by any Democratic candidate this primary year!

Left: Senator Sanders and Rep. Ocasio Cortez embrace

Right: The Strokes take on the stage after Senator Sanders 

After hearing Bernie speak four times during the course of our trip, I am memorizing his speech and might be able to give it myself (with one or two more practices!).

On Sunday we went to the office and helped the field organizers prepare more than one hundred volunteers to go out to canvass and GOTV! This meant that we placed all of the necessary materials in the clipboards, instructed the large number of people in the office to organize into 'stations' to receive their turf number, prepared literature packets and warmers (very important)! After the morning rush of volunteers, we prepared more clipboards and literature packets for the expected afternoon rush, phone-banked and made a lot confirmation calls for volunteers.

I really appreciate the ability to phone-bank, since most people had a minute of their time to give us and I had very nice conversations. I addressed some concerns of voters, we related on topics such as the incredible cold outside, sport teams and even discussed Bernie's height (he's much taller than I expected!).

Caitlin Crowley and I ended our day in the office by canvassing and were even caught in a snowfall! It was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed having the chance to walk around in such beautiful weather.

Myself, in about four layers of clothing, covered in fresh snow! 

Saturday was met with excitement to see the Democratic presidential candidates at the 2020 McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Event! We picked up our tickets and saw almost everyone we had met throughout the three field offices, walked towards the large venue and sat in the Bernie section. It was amazing to see the hard work we put into the signs on our first day be shared by everyone in the crowd. We had the opportunity to listen to the candidates and cheer very loudly when Bernie came out! Showing support and being surrounded by such nice people who had also taken their time to support Senator Sanders is amazing.

The signs we made on our first day!

We were holding the letters (Peyton Johnson and I can be seen below the second "E")!

A couple of students in our group were interviewed during debate visibility outside of Saint Anselm! I was interviewed by the student paper in New York University and the New Hampshire NPR.

https://pavementpieces.com/new-hampshires-gen-z-voters-focus-on-issues/

Almost got the university's name right! 

Finally! Today is Debate Day! After working working at the office on phone banking and making signs promoting future events, we went back to Saint Anselm College. Although, this time we did not get to enjoy the warmth or beautiful facilities inside. We were holding Bernie 2020 signs outside, chanting and trying to move to invoke some sense of warmth in our bodies. I do not think I had never been this cold in my life. Experiencing adverse weather definitely brought us all closer together and left a sense of purpose for the rest of the trip.

It is in my humble opinion that we had the best chants out of the campaigns represented (It's cold but I'm feeling the Bern!). We definitely deserved the honorary title of best chants!

This is a day we will never forget!

Thursday started by the group waking up to a lot of snow! Many students in the group had never experienced snow and it was very nice to go through a snow day together.

Our first stop of the day was at Saint Anselm College, where we received a tour of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics building by the Executive Director Neil Levesque. Saint Anselm college is known for its many debates and related events it has hosted and their Institute of Politics curriculum.

After the tour of the Institute of Politics, the group separated and we went to the field office and started our work day by canvassing in the snow! The houses we were supposed to contact were very far apart this time, which meant that we had the opportunity to explore the beautiful neighborhood and speak to people who were out jogging, walking their dogs or shoveling their driveway. It was incredibly beautiful outside and since it was a snow day for most schools in the state, we had the chance to speak to a large number of wonderful people who were interested in our message and had concerns about the candidate's platform and experience. 

Pictured on the right: the best canvassing partner Caitlin Crowley!

After the State House and the NHDP office, we went to the office and got ready to canvass for the first time! I had never been canvassing before, which meant we took a second to familiarize ourselves with the MiniVAN app and head out into the cold. 

We had some great conversations, a couple of wrong turns, and one incredible interaction! As we were waiting for our volunteer coordinator to pick us up, we went into a small corner store to warm up and get snacks. As I walked up to the register, the owner of the shop asked if we were out canvassing --which isn't hard to tell when you're carrying a clipboard with literature a days before the primary- and who we were volunteering for. When I told him we were working for Senator Sanders he told me the chips were free! He mentioned he was definitely voting for the Senator and was excited to see young people volunteering. I made sure to tell everyone in the office that he was a strong supporter and enjoyed seeing volunteers out. In only a few days, I have learned that the #NotMeUs message is carried by the people who support Sanders' message and want to see a politician fight for the people.

Right in the middle of the Youth Climate Town Hall, we walked to the State House to sit in a meeting of the Executive Council and got the amazing chance to meet the Governor of New Hampshire! It was very interesting to see what is on the agenda during these hectic times in the state. The importance of local government to the people of the state inspires me to work in the public sector in the future. We were also able to meet the New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, pictured below! 

We walked from the State House to the New Hampshire Democratic Party, which I was very impressed by! The office is absolutely beautiful and everyone was welcoming and excited to have us there. Ray Buckley, Chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, told us many stories of his experiences with President Obama, as well as other amazing stories of his work as Chairman. This day was filled with many great experiences of meeting politicians who I am constantly inspired by, and the day isn't even over yet! 

I am so happy we got the opportunity to attend the NH Youth Climate and Clean Energy Town Hall! It was a really interesting arrangement where three students at different levels in their education asked questions! We had the pleasure of listening to Senator Klobuchar, Andrew Yang and Tom Steyer. I loved listening to Environmental Science topics that involved current politics, and seeing how each candidate includes climate policies into their platform.

As I walked outside of the town hall to enjoy some (very cold) fresh air, I noticed Tom Steyer approaching us! A couple of members of the group went up to speak to him, take pictures and tell him we came from Florida to volunteer for multiple campaigns and attend events such as the town hall. He was very impressed with the class and our involvement in the New Hampshire primary process. Even though he had to inside shortly after, we received another opportunity to speak with him and take more pictures. I mentioned that I valued him prioritizing climate policies on his campaign and that I was an Environmental Science and Policy major. Here are some pictures of the encounter!

We had the chance to meet Senator Sanders' campaign manager Faiz Shakir!

Milford Rally

After visiting the State House, we went to the office for a couple of hours before heading to our first event with Bernie! Before this day, I had never gone to a politician's rally or volunteered in an event similar to one. This made me much more excited, as I had no idea what we were about to face inside.

The rally was located inside of a community center, occupying a large gymnasium. I envisioned these events in either theaters or large conference-style rooms, definitely not on tennis courts. Misconception aside, we came in the facility just as they were beginning to set up, which meant that we could quickly take action and set up the chairs for the accessibility needs section and place the US flag bunting everywhere.

As the pre-event preparations came to a close, we all felt the excitement that only comes with being close to seeing someone we all admire immensely. When the Senator came onstage, I felt complete disbelief at seeing him so close. It was an amazing experience and we hope to see him many more times during the week!

Tuesday morning began with a trip to the New Hampshire State House! We got a tour of the House and Senate Chambers and learned many interesting facts regarding the state and its involvement in United States history. The gift shop had a collection of signed placards and buttons, as well as pictures of our amazing tour guide with many of the candidates running this year!

In the classes leading up to our trip to New Hampshire, I remember Dr. McLaughlan teaching us the roads to success in our respective offices. The one thing I remember constantly (besides Improvise, Adapt and Overcome!) is to be the person that sees a need in the office and fulfills it. That is why when Liz and I saw the opportunity to throw away the trash in the office, we fulfilled the task!

Only necessary to document this process!

The second portion of our first day was spent making signs for the upcoming 2020 McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Event! We placed small lights into signs that would spell out Bernie. I can't wait to see them at the event!

Feel the Bern!

The campaign office is absolutely beautiful! There are multiple murals throughout the office, displaying the creativity of the diverse group of people throughout the office and their multiple talents. Everyone was incredibly kind and warm, despite the very cold weather outside. They were very excited to see students from Florida and we received many questions regarding how we were handling the weather.

The first portion of the afternoon was spend moving boxes full of literature for Get Out the Vote (GOTV) canvassers! We also unpacked a thousand clipboards and placed Bernie 2020 stickers on the back! Although the work was a bit repetitive and tiresome, I was very excited to have a task to do and help out in any way that I could!