On Being Part of History
November 4—Election Day 2008. CMD seniors A.J. Mizes and Cornell Woodson are both campus leaders—Mizes is president of the Class of ’09 and Woodson is president of the IC Student Government Association. Below they reflect in their own words on participating in their first national presidential election.
A.J. Mizes:
Going to Pittsburgh was really a decision that I made on a whim. I had never really been involved in national politics until this year, when the campaign seemed to last forever in comparison to previous elections. Towards the end of the campaign though, I felt a certain sense of urgency to do something as Barack's opposition was starting to close in.
I heard about Barack's Roadtrip For Change that was being launched to certain campuses across the country. The campaign paid for our lodging, food, and all transportation from Ithaca to Pittsburgh. We loaded on a bus at 9:30 in the morning on Monday, and didn't return until 6 a.m. Wednesday with a total of five hours of sleep for those two days.
It was incredibly intense, but SO worth every minute. My two favorite parts of the entire experience were knocking on doors and hearing community members share their personal connection with Barack and the campaign, and also hearing them express their gratitude to young people for helping getting out the vote.
Additionally, being at the official watch party for Pennsylvania was breath taking as well. As we saw the countdown reach zero, and Barack's name appear on the large LCD screen...the whole room went deafening with screams of joy. It was so touching to be in a room of people expressing their sincere happiness in relation to our nation's next President. I have never felt so patriotic in my entire life.
Cornell Woodson:
Throughout the presidential campaign, I did not do much to help out. Even though we had an Obama headquarter right here in Ithaca, I could not pull myself away from the amount of work I needed to get done for classes and my own responsibilities with SGA. Then, I was contacted by two gentlemen who were recruiting students to go to Pennsylvania to help out with the Obama campaign. At first I thought, there is no way I can go.
However, shortly after that initial feeling I realized that history was about to be made. I wanted to be a part of that history and have something to tell my children. So I emailed all my professors and said that I will be in Pennsylvania helping put Obama in the White House. While I was there, we went door-to-door making sure people knew where their polling places were located. Unfortunately, I had people sic their dogs on me along with some very unkind words. Everyone stayed up for 43 hours straight to make phone calls and prepare for the big day.
Well, I am happy to report that it was the most exciting experience ever. I met so many people from across the country and for the first time participated in something that was larger than life. The hours before they were to announce the results, it felt like New Year's Eve. We counted down and they announced that Barack Obama was the next president of the United States!
That is when I realized what we had done there in Pennsylvania. I wasn't there just for me, but for my family, friends, and the generation of people soon to come. This was bigger than me and I was a part of a huge piece of history. I would not trade that experience for anything.
Most importantly, I believe that is what being an Ithaca College student is all about. Being a piece of a larger picture and helping it function. Ithaca College has prepared me to make history many more times in my lifetime and I cannot wait for this next chapter in my life to begin.
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