Senior Levi Jones has dedicated much of his time at ETSU to participating in and advocating for political organizations–now he gets to continue these passions on a national scale.
In October, Jones was elected to serve as the National Council Chair for the College Democrats of America. In this position, Jones hopes to increase engagement and retention within the organization, as well as encourage other schools with state College Democrat chapters to become affiliated with the national organization.
Jones is also passionate to bring a change to the ETSU region and community.
“Landlocked red states are being disproportionately affected by the Democratic Party, like we’re being left out [or] aren’t getting adequate attention,” Jones said. “They forget that we exist in these areas, that there are Democrats in red states.”
As a Tennessee native, this is a reality that Jones was quick to discover personally.
“Just because the state is red doesn’t mean that all of the people are red within the state, we are here and we are fighting,” Jones said. “The people who stay in this state are here for a reason and their hard work should not be discredited.”
Jones’s election to the National Council Chair comes at no surprise; he has had extensive experience working with parliamentary procedure. Aside from his affiliation with the College Democrats of America, he also serves as the director of programs for Tennessee College Democrats and Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives for the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
Jones has also invested his efforts in the ETSU campus by serving as the founder and former president of ETSU College Democrats. His extracurricular experiences as a college student have helped him realize that his passion is policy work.
“I love debating, being involved politically and just fighting for what I believe in,” Jones said.
An additional area of interest to Jones is theater and the arts, which he also correlates to his success in his political endeavors by helping to establish his stage presence and to not be afraid to use his voice.
As a political science major with double minors in communication studies and theatre, Jones has been able to pursue all of his passions at once. Although his time at ETSU will conclude this May, his work in higher education and with the College Democrats of America is far from over.
Upon his graduation, Jones intends to pursue his master’s degree in public policy overseas–a decision sparked by his experiences at ETSU; he is currently debating between attending the University of Birmingham in England or the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
“I went and studied abroad through the Honors College and just fell in love with the area and the people,” Jones said. “[I] just knew that I wanted to spend more time there.”
Jones currently has about a year left in his position as National Council Chair for the College Democrats of America; once in graduate school, he is optimistic that he will be able to continue his involvement while overseas and hopefully ignite change for Americans living abroad.
“Voter turnout rate with American citizens that live abroad is very low,” Jones said. “So something that I hope to do after this position [is work] to make sure that we have that connection with those who live abroad.”
While on the home-front, Jones wants ETSU students who also feel isolated due to their political affiliation to know that they are not alone and to feel encouraged to use their voice.
“This isn’t just about policies [or] retaining power, it’s about people,” Jones said. “It’s about fighting for what you believe in, fighting for those whose voices haven’t been heard, and just letting people know that they have someone that is always fighting for them.”
For more information on College Democrats of America, visit their website: www.collegedemocratsofamerica.com/
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