On Friday, Feb. 8, newly-elected Democratic Rep. Chris Chyung traveled from Indianapolis to answer questions regarding his new position in the LGI room. As ranking minority member of his local government committee, Chyung holds much importance in state legislature.
After a brief overview of the campaign process and his personal experiences in office so far, Chyung opened up the room the questions regarding bills he is currently overviewing. Students were encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity, as it does not occur often.
“I feel like it is good for people to be informed about who is running for their state legislature. I about certain policies that are a big issue in Indiana and what Chyung’s position on them are. It helps to be informed on different terms that are used in your classes,” Nicholas Thompson (12) said.
As this meeting was held in the LGI room, the small setting allowed almost every student who had a question the chance to be heard.
“The point of this meeting was for students and young people can make a connection with someone who is actually elected in office. We don’t get this opportunity often and I think it means a lot more because he is a young individual and he is someone who understands how young people think and how we want things done in government,” David McGreal (12) said.
Along with learning about new process that occur when trying to pass a bill, many students found the experience inspiring to hear from a young member from a nearby town.
“Personally, it was helpful because I am interested in politics and interested in maybe becoming a politician one day. I think the thing that interests me the most is being able to make the changes that I have thought about before. You go through a lot of life seeing things and not being able to affect them, for example a lot of people are affected by global warming and it can truly cause serious health issues such as lung cancer and seeing people go through that without a medium to help them is disheartening. I think politics is a way that you can do the most that you possibly can to make a change and a positive effect of the world,” David McGreal (12) said.
