Goodbye Iowa

By: Hana Hofeld

As I sit on our last flight back to Elon, I am feeling a bundle of mixed emotions. I am happy to be coming back because I get to sleep in my own bed and I’ll be back to a regular routine. I am sad because these past 10 days in Iowa have been an absolute incredible once in a lifetime experience. I have learned so much about the caucus process, the candidates, and from my very intelligent peers. I was waiting for this trip before I formed an opinion on which Democratic candidate I would be supporting in 2020. I now realize the importance and the difference it makes to see candidates in person before one decides if they like them or not. 

In Iowa we got to see about 10 candidates live and in person. Seeing candidates in person is such a different experience than just watching them on TV. Authenticity is something we talked about a lot on this trip. A candidate in person often acts differently than they do on TV. I said this in an earlier blog post but Elizabeth Warren wins the authenticity award in my opinion. She radiates passion and has a ton of energy when she is speaking. We got to see her three times and everytime, even during the debate, she was the exact same. Andrew Yang is another candidate who I thought was authentically himself. It is very unlikely that he will win but Yang was funny and honest in his humor. I found a lot of his ideas very logical. Sanders and Biden on the other hand were people that I thought were authentic in their own way but not exactly an entertaining authentic. I found Bernie a good speaker but the way he spoke was angry and he used the same tone the whole time. For the very short time that Biden spoke, there was nothing that I thought he said that was or any interest or importance to why he should be the next president. I was definitely disappointed with the VP.  

These past 12 days in Iowa offered me an experience that I wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere else. It reinforced the importance and the scariness of this election and the current time that we are living in. I feel a moral responsibility and obligation to my community and peers to talk about this experience and to make sure that everyone I know votes. I feel so grateful to go to a university that offers such a unique and life changing trip.