UNC helped me become politically aware

In high school, during AP US Government and Politics, I was asked to place myself on a scale from far left to far right regarding my political beliefs. I had never put much thought into it. I just listened to my parents and believed what they said. I didn’t understand on which I side of the scale I fell. I chose to write my name just slightly right of center.

At that time, my political beliefs were the following: If it didn’t affect me, what granted me the right to take away the rights of others? I just wanted to feel comfortable in the classroom. I would have labeled myself as a Republican but not necessarily conservative.

Would I do that today? Not at all.

It’s all about perspective.

When I registered to vote later that same year, I didn’t say that I was a Republican. I registered as a Democrat. Making the decision to choose liberal over conservative values is one for which I am truly grateful now. I chose that path at seventeen and I have strengthened my belief system ever since.

When I first arrived at UNC, I was afraid — of the community, of the freedom, and of the new lifestyle. What was the college life going to mean for me? I was just a boy from a fairly small town, questioning almost everything I’d ever known. I was confused and embarking on a journey to do what we all did when we arrived at UNC: discover myself.

My hometown isn’t necessarily conservative, but the atmosphere there is nothing like that of Chapel Hill. UNC opened my eyes to a new crowd. Discussion here is open and welcomed. My courses haven’t taught me what to think or how to think. Instead, they’ve taught me that I need to think.

My sticker from the first time I voted in the 2014 primary election

I realized I needed to form my own opinions on various topics. I needed to look at the world around me. Ignorance on the issues would only harm me in the end. So I have, and UNC helped me do it.

Where I was once a confused teenager, unsure of myself or where I should stand in the political world, I became informed. At UNC, I learned about society and the social construction of race and gender. My education has shown me what freedom means and that it should be embraced wholeheartedly.

My time at UNC has taught me to check my privilege and recognize the parts of my identity that negatively affect others. I am a white, cisgendered male living in a patriarchal society. Members of oppressed groups do not deserve the treatment they have long received from this same society.

I will forever fight for freedom, not just for myself but for others also.

I will do so as a strong liberal.

I didn’t understand my ideological beliefs in high school, but a powerful community and a wonderful education have shown me what I hadn’t known before. How could I not want to see the end of discrimination and injustice?

I guess UNC has done its job and for that, I’m thankful. Carolina has made me think and question myself many times. It’s not that UNC made me a liberal individual, but it helped me recognize that I already was one. I can’t wait to see what these last few semesters have in store for me.