View My Resume
When parting ways with so many amazing people these last couple of days, people ask me, "What are you going to do now?" A lot of times I'd half-jokingly answer, "Well, I'm not sure. Want to give me a job?" I am excited to enter the next phase of my professional life. Now that I've had a taste of working for a mission that I believe in my heart to be important, I struggle with the idea of working without that same feeling. This still however leaves many possibilities for a personally, as well as professionally fulfilling position.
The area that I am most interested in working with is the President-Elect's New Energy for America Plan to find solutions to this country's urgent environmental and energy issues. In addition to Barack Obama's Plan, I am inspired by books like Crimes Against Nature by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Break Through by Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, and Apollo’s Fire by Congressman Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks. Ideally I could channel this inspiration into a job with a government agency such as the EPA, an office on Capitol Hill, or a non-profit organization. I am open to any ideas and look forward to the discussion.
View My Resume
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
We Did It!!!!
I can't believe it's over. I still feel like pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming when I hear "President-Elect Obama..." on the news. It's something that we've all wanted for our country for so long and felt so deeply about, that we couldn't just sit back and hope for the best. We had to do everything we could to make it happen, and we did! November 4, 2008 is a night I will remember for the rest of my life.
When the polls finally closed and there were no more doors to knock on the last minute to make sure everyone voted, I had to be sure to get some pictures with three extremely important people in my life these last couple weeks: Mary Lou, Patty, and Janice.
(Me, Mary Lou, and Patty)
Look how tired I look! Also notice my GOTV beard. I had never grown a beard before, and this one became something of a superstition. Someone pointed out the arrogance that must go into thinking that shaving my beard could somehow throw the election, but I still wasn't about to risk it. My mom said I reminded her of Che Guevara. My dad called me "Fuzzy". Oh well, I guess it worked!
Anyway, Mary Lou and Patty pretty much ran the whole office. The move to the new place at the last minute undoubtedly would not have worked without them. Plus, they often brought me a muffin to help brighten my spirits. Also, they live in Maryland and drove all the way down to Virginia every day!
Look how amazing Janice's outfit is! Whenever it was late at night and we still had a whole bunch of data entry to do, Janice would walk in and the room would immediately light up. She stayed with us on those very late nights, and then for GOTV she was the Runner Captain. That means she dispatched drivers to staging locations to pick up walk packs that were already canvassed, etc. Also, her party Saturday was really great, plus she gave me and Tiffany a goody bag full of tasty treats like those mini crab cakes, beans, potato salad, ribs, etc. Janice rules!
So when the polls closed, we quickly discovered that obsessively hitting "refresh" on the internet browsers to see results were going to drive us mad, plus we wanted to meet up with our Mt. Vernon compatriots with whom we worked together so much before the Lee District moved to the new office. Somehow it was decided that the middle point for both locations was a Chevy's. That's right, the night I will never forget for as long as I live was spent in a Mexican version of Applebee's! It's kind of awesome in a way though.
And then we won! I can't begin to describe what it felt like to see that we won Virginia, and then to see that right after that CNN called the election for Barack. I truly believe we helped change the world. It's something that nobody can ever take from us.
Whenever I started to feel a bit exhausted like it was never going to end, I kept thinking about people like Mike and his dad, Don. They were there from the beginning. When cynics like me thought, "wouldn't that be amazing if Barack Obama was the Democratic candidate? But he'll never beat the Clinton machine," there were people like Mike and Don out there in freezing temperatures doing just that. They were true believers from the very start, and none of this would have been possible without people like them.
I could listen to Don talk for hours. Not only was he in the field during the primaries with stories about canvassing deep in snow and freezing weather in Iowa, but he's also an astrophysicist!
Mike was our leader throughout the whole campaign in Southern Fairfax County. Many thanks to him for giving me the opportunity to have a small part in making history and to bring Democratic Pride back to my home state of Virginia.
When the polls finally closed and there were no more doors to knock on the last minute to make sure everyone voted, I had to be sure to get some pictures with three extremely important people in my life these last couple weeks: Mary Lou, Patty, and Janice.
(Me, Mary Lou, and Patty)Anyway, Mary Lou and Patty pretty much ran the whole office. The move to the new place at the last minute undoubtedly would not have worked without them. Plus, they often brought me a muffin to help brighten my spirits. Also, they live in Maryland and drove all the way down to Virginia every day!
Look how amazing Janice's outfit is! Whenever it was late at night and we still had a whole bunch of data entry to do, Janice would walk in and the room would immediately light up. She stayed with us on those very late nights, and then for GOTV she was the Runner Captain. That means she dispatched drivers to staging locations to pick up walk packs that were already canvassed, etc. Also, her party Saturday was really great, plus she gave me and Tiffany a goody bag full of tasty treats like those mini crab cakes, beans, potato salad, ribs, etc. Janice rules!So when the polls closed, we quickly discovered that obsessively hitting "refresh" on the internet browsers to see results were going to drive us mad, plus we wanted to meet up with our Mt. Vernon compatriots with whom we worked together so much before the Lee District moved to the new office. Somehow it was decided that the middle point for both locations was a Chevy's. That's right, the night I will never forget for as long as I live was spent in a Mexican version of Applebee's! It's kind of awesome in a way though.
And then we won! I can't begin to describe what it felt like to see that we won Virginia, and then to see that right after that CNN called the election for Barack. I truly believe we helped change the world. It's something that nobody can ever take from us.
Whenever I started to feel a bit exhausted like it was never going to end, I kept thinking about people like Mike and his dad, Don. They were there from the beginning. When cynics like me thought, "wouldn't that be amazing if Barack Obama was the Democratic candidate? But he'll never beat the Clinton machine," there were people like Mike and Don out there in freezing temperatures doing just that. They were true believers from the very start, and none of this would have been possible without people like them.
I could listen to Don talk for hours. Not only was he in the field during the primaries with stories about canvassing deep in snow and freezing weather in Iowa, but he's also an astrophysicist!
Mike was our leader throughout the whole campaign in Southern Fairfax County. Many thanks to him for giving me the opportunity to have a small part in making history and to bring Democratic Pride back to my home state of Virginia.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Me and my sister, who ironically is now a nurse and can frequently be found with a mouth full of M&Ms. I unfortunately am no cowboy...though I can grow a mustache.
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Final Stretch
With the start of the GOTV phase of the campaign, everyone's roles have narrowed a bit. My role is the Volunteer Coordinator/Phone Bank Captain. This means that when someone in the office comes in and says they would like to volunteer, they come see me. We identify their limits in terms of if they are willing/able to make phone calls or they will only do data entry or office work, and find them the appropriate set up to help out. It can sometimes be challenging when someone comes in at 10 in the morning, saying that they won't make calls, when all we really have for people to do at that time is to make calls. But I have to say I haven't lost many people who walk in, and we are usually able to find them something to do. Respect, Empower, Include!
So, just when things looked like they couldn't get crazy enough, what do we do? Why, open up a brand new office with only three weeks left until the election, of course! There were a lot of naysayers, including myself at times, but things have run pretty smoothly. Here's what it looked like before we filled up the space with an average of 50 volunteers making thousands of phone calls per day:
There's also a great coffee shop downstairs with amazing pastries which is of course invaluable for a campaign office - especially when one might load the coffee pot in the kitchen and due to only 3-5 hours of sleep for the last couple of weeks (sometimes even less), neglects to place the coffee pot in its place, causing coffee to be served all over the kitchen counter:
Nice job, Luke.
So, just when things looked like they couldn't get crazy enough, what do we do? Why, open up a brand new office with only three weeks left until the election, of course! There were a lot of naysayers, including myself at times, but things have run pretty smoothly. Here's what it looked like before we filled up the space with an average of 50 volunteers making thousands of phone calls per day:
There's also a great coffee shop downstairs with amazing pastries which is of course invaluable for a campaign office - especially when one might load the coffee pot in the kitchen and due to only 3-5 hours of sleep for the last couple of weeks (sometimes even less), neglects to place the coffee pot in its place, causing coffee to be served all over the kitchen counter:
Nice job, Luke.Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Voters Registered
Fairly early into my work as a Deputy Field Organizer, it became apparent that any semblance of a normal 40 hour work week was pretty much out of the question. I could do more and, if I was going to be honest with my level of commitment, I had to be there whenever my assistance was possibly needed. Besides, try telling these serious Agents of Change you need a full 8 hours of sleep:
(Luke, Nick, and Ted)
I didn't think so!
After the October 6 deadline had passed, the main focus of the Campaign shifted from registering voters to Get Out The Vote, or GOTV. There are 436,000 newly registered voters in Virginia just this year, and it is now our job to make sure those people actually do vote on November 4. It's hard to express how good it feels to have a part in this past registration drive. People are getting involved in this country's government for the first time in their lives, and it's going to change my home state, and ultimately country, for the better. Special props to Ted, who pretty much managed the entire voter registration drive these last couple weeks.
As a special show of appreciation, Tara (one of our volunteer phone caller all-stars) bestowed upon us each a $1,000,000 bill. The first payment I've received since July, good thing I waited it out for the big payday - thanks Tara!
(Me, Ted, Laura, Margo, and Tall Mike)
(Nathania, Luke, Mike, and Nick)
(Luke, Nick, and Ted)I didn't think so!
After the October 6 deadline had passed, the main focus of the Campaign shifted from registering voters to Get Out The Vote, or GOTV. There are 436,000 newly registered voters in Virginia just this year, and it is now our job to make sure those people actually do vote on November 4. It's hard to express how good it feels to have a part in this past registration drive. People are getting involved in this country's government for the first time in their lives, and it's going to change my home state, and ultimately country, for the better. Special props to Ted, who pretty much managed the entire voter registration drive these last couple weeks.
As a special show of appreciation, Tara (one of our volunteer phone caller all-stars) bestowed upon us each a $1,000,000 bill. The first payment I've received since July, good thing I waited it out for the big payday - thanks Tara!
(Me, Ted, Laura, Margo, and Tall Mike)
(Nathania, Luke, Mike, and Nick)(Nick loves balloons)
Monday, September 1, 2008
NIN, Liberty, and Dunthor the Destroyer
We went to Philadelphia this weekend.
First - and the reason for the trip - Nine Inch Nails! It's the second time I've seen them. I got general admission floor tickets, so we got just close enough to feel a part of the action, but not too close and crowded so my face wasn't forcibly pressed against some sweaty hot-topic tank-top...gross!
Always on the forefront of concert lighting technology, Trent and his crew had some pretty cool motion detected things going on. Basically he could control the lightscreen with his hands to expand or "throw" holes in the light so the crowd could see the band. It was pretty cool, but I'm there to rock out! This is Nine Inch Nails, not Popular Mechanics!
The next day we did some touristy stuff. We saw the liberty bell,
and Independence Hall.
We also ate some very delicious cheese steaks, then took a fake trolley up to the art museum - the one where Rocky runs up the steps. I didn't get a picture at the top of the Rocky steps. I saw some other people running up them, then getting their pictures taken, but I had no interest in following suit. I have my limits. After the museum, we went to a really great restaurant called White Dog Cafe. This place can stand up to any of my favorite spots I've been to when living in New York.
The next day we drove to Hershey Park and had an awesome time. No pictures though - I didn't want the camera to get lost or damaged so we left it in the car.
Then we drove to a nearby Renaissance Fair, where we met Dunthor the Destroyer. I don't know if that was his name, but I imagine it was something similar.
I didn't ask him if the Wolf pelt was real. Judging from the fact that he had filed his teeth to points, I assumed he was a dude you didn't want to argue with about the moral implications of purchasing a pelt of an endangered species.
First - and the reason for the trip - Nine Inch Nails! It's the second time I've seen them. I got general admission floor tickets, so we got just close enough to feel a part of the action, but not too close and crowded so my face wasn't forcibly pressed against some sweaty hot-topic tank-top...gross!
Always on the forefront of concert lighting technology, Trent and his crew had some pretty cool motion detected things going on. Basically he could control the lightscreen with his hands to expand or "throw" holes in the light so the crowd could see the band. It was pretty cool, but I'm there to rock out! This is Nine Inch Nails, not Popular Mechanics!
The next day we did some touristy stuff. We saw the liberty bell,
and Independence Hall.
We also ate some very delicious cheese steaks, then took a fake trolley up to the art museum - the one where Rocky runs up the steps. I didn't get a picture at the top of the Rocky steps. I saw some other people running up them, then getting their pictures taken, but I had no interest in following suit. I have my limits. After the museum, we went to a really great restaurant called White Dog Cafe. This place can stand up to any of my favorite spots I've been to when living in New York.
The next day we drove to Hershey Park and had an awesome time. No pictures though - I didn't want the camera to get lost or damaged so we left it in the car.
Then we drove to a nearby Renaissance Fair, where we met Dunthor the Destroyer. I don't know if that was his name, but I imagine it was something similar.
I didn't ask him if the Wolf pelt was real. Judging from the fact that he had filed his teeth to points, I assumed he was a dude you didn't want to argue with about the moral implications of purchasing a pelt of an endangered species.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Howard Dean
SO,
In the past couple of weeks I have:
1. Quit my job as a paralegal.
2. Moved from Brooklyn to DC.
3. Started to volunteer full time for the Obama Campaign.
I found some difficulty leaving a job in which I had a lot of respect and admiration for my coworkers. I think we've all quit jobs before that when we leave, we say to ourselves, "Thank God I got out of there alive!" This was not one of those times. But ultimately it was time for a change. I worked with a lot of intelligent and hardworking people there, and I learned a lot from them. They sent me off with graciousness and encouragement that won't soon be forgotten.
The next task was to move from Sunset Park to DC. This included Tiffany and I packing up all my stuff, taking the subway into Manhattan to rent the cargo van, driving back to Sunset Park, loading up all my belongings, driving down to DC, getting in at around 2am on a Sunday night, unloading the van as quietly as possible so as to not wake up my new neighbors, getting to sleep at around 3:30am, waking up early in the morning to drive the van back to New York before the the single-day rate expired, then taking a train back to DC and finally arriving at our new apartment. So I traveled between DC and New York three times all while moving into a new apartment in less than 24 hours. Piece of cake!
After spending the first couple of weeks unpacking and settling in to the new digs, I decided it was finally time to dive head first into the campaign and do all that I could to help bring Barack Obama and Change to the White House. I called the Field Organizer of the office where my parents had been volunteering every Tuesday night, expressed interest in the campaign and made myself completely available.
I first got to the office when Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar, House, 24, The Namesake) came to visit the Southern Fairfax County office. He had a pretty good stump speech, and it was inspiring to realize that many people in the campaign recognized the critical importance of my home town in this election. He took pictures with people, chatted up the locals, and seemed in general like a pretty decent guy.
That week we mostly made phone calls to potential supporters to tell them about the event for Saturday, August 16th: Howard Dean was coming!
Speaking first was Etan Thomas of the Washington Wizards, giving a poetry slam type of speech that really got the audience fired up. It's nice to see such a positive role model in someone with such talent in the oratorical as well as athletic arenas.
Howard Dean did our office an immense service in kick starting our canvassing efforts. He spoke with passion and immediacy, and as the Chairman of the DNC he really showed everyone that the campaign, and really the world was watching Northern Virginia. It gave what we were doing a sense of importance and duty that not many others could have proclaimed.
In the past couple of weeks I have:
1. Quit my job as a paralegal.
2. Moved from Brooklyn to DC.
3. Started to volunteer full time for the Obama Campaign.
I found some difficulty leaving a job in which I had a lot of respect and admiration for my coworkers. I think we've all quit jobs before that when we leave, we say to ourselves, "Thank God I got out of there alive!" This was not one of those times. But ultimately it was time for a change. I worked with a lot of intelligent and hardworking people there, and I learned a lot from them. They sent me off with graciousness and encouragement that won't soon be forgotten.
The next task was to move from Sunset Park to DC. This included Tiffany and I packing up all my stuff, taking the subway into Manhattan to rent the cargo van, driving back to Sunset Park, loading up all my belongings, driving down to DC, getting in at around 2am on a Sunday night, unloading the van as quietly as possible so as to not wake up my new neighbors, getting to sleep at around 3:30am, waking up early in the morning to drive the van back to New York before the the single-day rate expired, then taking a train back to DC and finally arriving at our new apartment. So I traveled between DC and New York three times all while moving into a new apartment in less than 24 hours. Piece of cake!
After spending the first couple of weeks unpacking and settling in to the new digs, I decided it was finally time to dive head first into the campaign and do all that I could to help bring Barack Obama and Change to the White House. I called the Field Organizer of the office where my parents had been volunteering every Tuesday night, expressed interest in the campaign and made myself completely available.
I first got to the office when Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar, House, 24, The Namesake) came to visit the Southern Fairfax County office. He had a pretty good stump speech, and it was inspiring to realize that many people in the campaign recognized the critical importance of my home town in this election. He took pictures with people, chatted up the locals, and seemed in general like a pretty decent guy.
That week we mostly made phone calls to potential supporters to tell them about the event for Saturday, August 16th: Howard Dean was coming!
Speaking first was Etan Thomas of the Washington Wizards, giving a poetry slam type of speech that really got the audience fired up. It's nice to see such a positive role model in someone with such talent in the oratorical as well as athletic arenas.
Howard Dean did our office an immense service in kick starting our canvassing efforts. He spoke with passion and immediacy, and as the Chairman of the DNC he really showed everyone that the campaign, and really the world was watching Northern Virginia. It gave what we were doing a sense of importance and duty that not many others could have proclaimed.
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