The Trip of a Lifetime

By: Victoria Egan

As I sit here in the Des Moines airport among my classmates, who were strangers to me 12 days ago but are now such close friends, I can’t help but reflect upon my incredible time here in Iowa. This truly has been the trip of a lifetime. When we arrived, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I would get to see some of the presidential candidates, attend some rallies, and would be knocking on some doors for Pete Buttigieg. However, I never expected the extent to which I would get to see the candidates and the impact all of this would have on me. 

Over my time here I have had the opportunity to meet 12 presidential candidates, some of whom I have met several times. The first time I saw these candidates I was starstruck. However, by my second time seeing candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden, it felt normal. I was not devastated that I was not able to get a picture with Joe Biden because I had already taken a picture with him. To me, this was a crazy moment. I felt like I had become an Iowan and these candidates have just become regular people to me. Seeing them has truly humanized them for me and given me a whole new perspective on who each of these candidates are. I have also had the opportunity to meet with some incredible individuals including top CNN officials Wolf Blitzer, Sam Feist, and Ken Litwin, 2020 Campaign Embed for NBC Gary Grumbach, NBC correspondent Morgan Radford, and actress Mandy Moore. All of whom I had the honor of speaking to for an extended period of time, not a quick hello and picture. 

It has truly been an emotional time and we have had some incredibly deep and valuable conversations as a class. One of the biggest lessons I have learned on this trip is that everyone has their own opinion and is entitled to their opinion. While at first I felt personally attacked when others were harshly critiquing the candidate I support, I began to realize that there are so many people in the world that all have different views. Everyone is never going to completely agree with one another and that is perfectly okay. Listening to the views of others is extremely valuable in understanding our society. Often today, people are completely close-minded and refuse to hear what others have to say. However, this class has truly opened my eyes to other viewpoints and shown me the importance of having these difficult and sometimes uncomfortable conversations. 

I have seen 12 presidential candidates, worked on a presidential campaign, met top journalists, attended the smallest CNN Democratic Presidential Debate, taken a selfie with Joe Biden (and have it air live on CNN),  talked one on one with the candidate who I support and have worked for during my time in Iowa (and have this conversation displayed on national television), and made friends with incredible people who I may have never met otherwise. This class has completely strengthened and increased my passion for American politics and government. It has proven to me that I am 100% studying the right things at Elon. I am incredibly grateful to my parents for enabling me to attend Elon University, for this is an experience I could not have gotten anywhere else. I am grateful to Elon University for providing us with this class and want to give a huge thank you to my professors Mark Dalhouse and Rich Landesberg for putting together such an incredible trip and providing us with memories we will all treasure for the rest of our lives.