When I was a senior in high school, I remember my high school AP Government teacher’s unit on elections in the United States. I knew nothing about the election or voting process, but after a very thorough explanation using endless metaphors, I was fascinated, so fascinated that I decided that I wanted to consider going to law school. Two years later, I’m no longer considering law school, but I am on my way to Iowa to cover the 2020 caucus as a student journalist.
Even though we’re spending the day travelling from North Carolina to Iowa, that doesn’t mean that we’re not staying updated on everything in the news that could affect the caucuses. In fact, the student journalists on our trip stopped in the middle of the Minneapolis airport to listen to President Donald Trump address the nation after an Iraqi base housing US troops was attacked last night. While the tv’s in the airport were broadcasting the speech, the audio was not good quality, so we watched on our phones in the middle of the walkway. One woman even stopped to watch with us.
Now, with our coverage beginning tomorrow, I am interested to see how foreign policy debates affect conversations in Iowa. While foreign policy has not been a popular topic among presidential candidates as of yet, the threat of a possible war with Iran will put candidates’ opinions on foreign policy at the forefront, and this could help Iowa voters better differentiate candidate from candidate. Also, since we are covering the caucuses for the Elon community, an interesting question to ask candidates could be how going to war could affect college in the United States.
To think that just a little over two years ago I was sitting in an ugly classroom in the middle of Kansas learning about the Iowa Caucuses and now I’m on my way to cover them and interview the candidates in person is surreal. When you’re growing up and going through school, you learn so many details about obscure subjects, and its hard to understand how these facts and figures will shape your life. But, this trip goes to show that even what was once one of the most confusing subjects can morph into a life changing experience. I’m so excited to touch down in a state best known for its corn for the first time in 2020.
Elon University - Iowa: The Trail Starts Here 