Professor Michael Webber

This morning, Professor Michael Webber came to speak to us about renewable energy.  Professor Webber gave us great insight into how wind, solar, and nuclear energies are going to be the energies we use in the future.  He also provived us with a sobering lecture on how much more energy Texans consume per a capita than the rest of the world.  We learned a great deal about energy consumption and the effectiveness of various renewable energy alternatives from Professor Webber. We hope that he will come back to the Campaign Academy in the future.

Rodney Ellis, Pollsters, and the Y-Gen Awards

Yesterday was a jam-packed day filled with speakers, presentations, and above all spicy pickles. But in all seriousness, yesterday we learned about how polling works, when we sat in a session in which pollster Anna Greenberg explained to us the discontent that the citizens have with the current Texas State Board of Education. It was interesting to see the trends the people of Texas show that when they are informed of the subject of the polls. Statistics show that the majority of people polled are appalled by the current decisions the Board is making and wants a change, and more importantly want Thomas Jefferson in their history textbooks!

Before we went to the polls we were treated by a very animated discussion with Mark's mentor and close friend, State Senator Rodney Ellis. He told us about his past experiences and how he got involved in politics on a state. His discussion really inspired us, when he told us history of how he come up from politics from the bottom, and rising the status he had today.

Finally to end the day we witnessed Mark Strama, receive the Y-Gen Award as the first ever recipient. We also got to meet his family, and enjoy meeting Mark's closest friends and family.

All in all, yesterday was one of the busiest we have had Campaign Academy, and we thoroughly enjoyed.

StramaRama

So as you might know StramaRama is coming up this week, and just as a reminder to all of you, its on Saturday July 17th. We have secured the venue at Hanover's in Pflugerville, and its on 108 E. Main street in Pflugerville.

So the events we are having in addition to Bruce Robison playing live include having Nate the Great as a balloon animal artist, a caricature artist, and snow cone machines as well as having the chance to dunk elected officials including Mark Strama. We will also will have food and drinks for the adults.

We are expecting over 200 people at this event, so if you don't want to stand in line you can purchase your tickets early you can go to this link

Click Here to buy your tickets

So all you have to do is contribute 10 dollars and go through the entire process, you will be added to our list, so when you show up on Saturday all you have to do is go into the express line get you name checked off and walk in without having to wait half an hour in a line.

We think this event will fun, and family friendly so bring your friends and family out to have a great time.

Representative Rafael Anchia

Today we were paid a visit from a man destined by the Texas Monthly Magazine to be the governor of Texas in 2018. As a man of his stature, Rep. Anchia was friendly, amiable, and genuinely interested in giving back to his community in Dallas, as well as improving the wellbeing of Texans. This morning, the students of the Campaign Academy, alight with buzz over the Miami Heat's acquisition of LeBron James, were in lively discussion about the NBA and its future. Little did we realize the Representative sitting in the corner, quietly observing us in our discussion. As Marc Duchen our advisor introduced Rep. Anchia, we could not help but feel surprised that the Rep. had been in the room the entire time, and we hadn't even noticed. As he stood facing us, he asked us the million dollar question, in his words, "Why in the world, would anyone want to run for office?" and then proceeded to tell us about his experiences while running for his local school board elections. He instructed us on the matters of weighing the positive consequences of running versus the negative consequences of running as well as telling us why he decided to run for office. Rep Anchia inspired us all, with his personal story comparable to the American Dream, in a way that truly changed the way, or the lens in which we viewed the actual election process in a campaign. We would like to thank him for his time, especially when he agreed to talk to us during his vacation time, and like to thank him for the wisdom he imparted during his session with us. We hope that more men like Rep. Anchia get elected to office, and one day we hope to see him as Governor of Texas.

Admiral Bob Inman and Professer Steven Murdock

Today, we had the special treat of having  former four-star Admiral Bob Inman come speak to us. We had great expectations for the Admiral's visit and he didn't disappoint. He gave us great insight into America's current foreign policy affairs and in his experiences during  his long career of  service for his country.  After Bob Inman spoke to us, we were visited by Rice Professor Steven Murdock.

Professor Steven Murdock gave one of the best  presentations we have had at the academy. His PowerPoint presentation made a strong case for educational reform. Murdock, a famous demographer, showed us how Texas' standard of living is expected to drop off over the next few decades because of an uneducated workforce.  Overall, we really enjoyed getting to listen to both these great speakers and we hope that they will come back  to speak to  future Campaign Academies, so they can learn as much as we did from these two great men.

Aimee Boone, Matt Glazer, and Karl Thomas Musselman

Yesterday during lunch, we had three speakers come in and talk to us. The first lady who came in to talk to us was Aimee Boone, and she was the Finance Director for the Texas Democratic Trust. Since we are in the process of planning Stramarama, which is essentially a fundraiser, we received a lot of insights and handy tips on how to improve our fundraising skills. She told us about her experiences, such as how she got into politics, and the importance of fundraising in a campaign.

After our lunch of Jimmy Johns we were honored to have Matt Glazer and Karl Thomas Musselman, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Burnt Orange Report, come in and share their experiences with us. We learned about new media, and about how nowadays people are more interested in efficiency rather than the personal touch. Matt was joking about how back in the day direct mail was the latest breakthrough in campaigns, but now we can gain exposure through Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and various other social networking sites. Matt and KT also discussed about the future of new media campaigning, and about how with the release of the new iPhone 4 we can reach more people through video conferencing.

Holly Heinrich

Name: Holly Heinrich
Age: 18 
School and Year in School: incoming freshman at the University of Texas at Austin; 2010 graduate of Westlake High School
Major: Sociology 
Elevator Pitch: I'm interested in both journalism and government because of the impact these fields can have on people's lives. Journalism spreads awareness about the issues; public policy can directly solve them. I've had experiences in both fields--I've interned in Rep. David Farabee's office and interned at Texas Monthly magazine, and I write for my community newspaper, The Westlake Picayune. 
Favorite Political Figures: Barack Obama and Kirk Watson 
Hobbies: Writing, Hiking, Swimming, Politics

Kristen Gooch

Name: Kristen Gooch
Age: 25
School and Year in School: Texas State University, Junior
Major: Communications Disorders
Elevator Pitch: Hi, My name is Kristen Gooch. I'm a Junior at Texas State University majoring in Communications Disorders with the goal of becoming a Speech Therapist. I worked for Mark Strama's Campaign Academy in 2008.
Favorite Political Figure: Barack Obama
Favorite Musician: Brad Paisley
Hobbies: Wheelchair racing, swimming, and spending time with friends

Dick J. Trabulsi and James Fields

 Last Friday,  Dick J. Trabulsi, President of  Texans for Lawsuit Reform,  visited us to discuss the importance of enacting more tort reform in Texas. He told us how the goal of his organization was to reduce outrageous claims for damages and unneccessary lawsuits. Trabulsi claimed that if more tort reform was enacted, the costs of many goods and services in Texas would go down, and it would also spur entrepreneurial innovation.  It was a really interesting issue  to hear about , and it made many students of the Academy curious about the issue.

The next Monday, we were visited by  the Texas Trial Lawyers Association's Senior Director of Public Affairs, James Fields .When he arrived the whole room fell silent. Having listened to his opponent the day before, we did not know what to expect of a man who introduced himself as "the devil." As he told us of his past experience and his shifts in political sides, from working with tort reform, to working against it, we were enthralled by his various stories. He then proceeded to paint us a picture of the injustices of tort reform by reading from the book, Breaking Down the Courthouse Door by Stephanie Mencimer, which illustrated his argument that medicine malpractice reimbursement should not be capped, instead that full damages should be paid, instead of a fraction of the real amount that should be paid. But his best advice to us was after the lecture when he told us "Don't believe anything [I say], read up on this issue by yourselves." We enjoyed Mr. Fields lecture, and the ability to view both sides of an argument that is "age old" and to choose which side is right for ourselves. We would like to thank Mr. Fields for taking the time to visit us.

Wells Branch 4th of July Parade

On the 4th of July, a bunch of us Campaign Academy kids participated in the Wells Branch parade. Mark was at the Great Hills parade, so we were kinda disappointed that he didn't show up. Andrew showed up with his big black truck and we hung a gigantic banner on the back of the bed. Then all of us (Sohin, Greg, Meredith, Andrew, Saurah, Elise, Sam H, Jaime, David, Aylin, Kathleen, and Athena) piled on to the truck, and we started waving our flags and yard signs. We originally didn't have candy which put as at a terrible disadvantage, but halfway through the parade the lady who was helping run the parade gave us a bag of Dum Dums. The parade lasted for about 45 minutes, and the stretch was probably a mile long. A few minutes after the parade started, we decided to have a few people walk along side the truck and pass out StramaRama flyers. Overall, I thought the parade was pretty successful because we got the word about StramaRama out to a large crowd.

Stramarama on July 17

Here is the official information on Stramarama:

DATE: Saturday July 17 2010
TIME: 5 - 7 PM
PLACE: Hanover's Draught Haus
ADDRESS: 108 East Main Street
Pflugerville, Texas 78660
WHO: Bruce Robison and his band
PRICE: $10 for adults and free for students

We have a Facebook event for Stramarama, and you can buy your tickets online here.

There will also be a volleyball court and several family friendly activities for kids.

Alex Lewis

Name:Alex Lewis
Age: 19
School and Year in School: Elon University Sophomore
Major (if applicable): Political Science and History
Favorite Political Figure: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Favorite Musician:John Lennon
Hobbies: Tennis, Reading Political Books and News

Mark Strama wins the Y Gen Out-Standing Person Award

Mark Strama, the founder and mentor of the Campaign Academy has won a very prestigious award. The Y Generation Out-Standing Person Award only honors individuals who epitomize Y Gen Out Loud's mission to educate and encourage the next generation of Americans to take an active role in their government and politics. Rep Strama as you might know is a champion for education in the House of Representatives. Strama is also a founding member of of the Pflugerville ISD MEN in Education program, which places male volunteers in schools and school activities to serve as mentors and role models. Mark has also served on the Board of Directors of KidsVoting USA, a national non-profit organization that develops civics educations programs for K-12 students. This award illustrates Strama's commitment to the community and his dedication to improving education for the next generations. We all at the Campaign Academy have heard his inspirational talks on reforming education in Texas, and we feel that this award is well deserved.

Saurah Tabrizi

Name: Saurah Tabrizi
Age: 17
School and Year in School: Incoming freshman, St. Edwards University
Major (if applicable): Political Science
Elevator Pitch: I got involved in politcs without initially intending to stay involved in it. However, I shortly realized that politics is the best way to improve the lives of others and to motivate others to want to do the same. 
Favorite Political Figure: Kirk Watson
Favorite Musician: Phoenix
Hobbies: Drawing and social activism
(left in picture)

Greg Koppell

Name: Greg Koppell
Age: 18
School and Year in School: American University 2014
Major (if applicable): International Studies and Economics
Elevator Pitch: I will be an incoming freshman at American University in the Fall. I've been passionate about politics from a young age, but Campaign Academy is my first experience getting involved with a campaign. 
Favorite Political Figure: FDR
Favorite Musician: Whoa, Palomino
Hobbies: Percussion, music, travel, politics

Glen Maxey

Background Info:

Glen Maxey has had the kind of historic career in politics that many only dream of. He first taught migrant students in Navasota, Texas, before becoming involved in Democratic politics. In 1982, Maxey joined the staff of Democratic State Senator Oscar Mauzy, quickly becoming his chief legislative aide, a position from which he was extremely active on gay rights and AIDS issues. He then was elected to the position of state representative, becoming the first openly gay legislator in either chamber of the Texas state legislature. Maxey served from 1991 to 2003, acquiring a reputation as an enormously productive legislator with political courage. He was instrumental in passing the landmark Children’s Health Insurance Program bill, and also worked on improving access to Medicare and conditions for disabled children, among a host of other issues.

Today Glen Maxey paid us a visit at the Campaign Academy. After academy student Sam Brothers introduced him to the rest of us, he had a few stories to tell us about what he called the "good ole days" back when he was just novice politician working for the State Senate as a legislative aid. He then proceeded to tell us some stories from the rough draft of his auto-biography, that according to him will be released in the Spring of 2012. After telling us some "risque" stories about himself as he served as a State Representative, one of them involving a humorous encounter with former president and then governor George W. Bush, he proceeded to answer questions from us Academy students. As he talked about his struggles as a politician and more importantly as a person, we were awed by his perseverance in the face of adversity. We would like to thank Glen Maxey for taking the time to talk us today, not only because of his stature as a Texan politician, but as a person who is an inspiration to us all.

Riane Yates

Name: Riane Yates
Age: 18 
School and Year in School: The University of Texas at Austin, Freshman 
Major (if applicable): Undeclared; Pre-med program 
Elevator Pitch: Hi, my name is Riane Yates. I will be an incoming freshman at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall. Currently I have an undeclared major but I am in the pre-med program and plan to major in the natural sciences and minor in the liberal arts. I participated in the Campaign Academy during the last session in 2008 and am proud to be back again this year. Politics have always played a huge part in my life. And being a Campaign Academy member has allowed me to branch out from the shadow of my parents and grasp my own identity in the political world. 
Favorite Political Figure: Cecile Richards
Favorite Musician: Dan Yates 
Hobbies: Family, soccer, running, film, books and learning.

Sohin Gautam

Name: Sohin Gautam

Age: 20

School and Year: University of Kentucky, Senior

Major (if applicable): Political Science/Geography

Elevator Pitch: In the early 21st century I found myself drawn to politics. Understanding the way the country is actually ran (versus how it is or how it should be) drew my mind's reflection. Upon discovering the horrors of the political system, I was turned off the whole concept more than ever. As I wandered mindlessly through the political landscape, I found Mark Strama ripe with new ideas and concepts to make politics, for Texas and beyond better. His eagerness brought my passion of politics back.

Favorite Political Figure: Truman

Favorite Musician: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Hobbies: Debate, Football, taking long walks on the beach, politics I guess...

Meredith Fickel

Name: Meredith Fickel
Age: 17
School and Year in School: Pflugerville High School '11
Major (if applicable): N/A
Elevator Pitch: Hi, I'm Meredith and I'm an incoming senior at Pflugerville High School. My parents are very involved in politics and I grew up around the Capitol in Austin, so I've always been interested in politics and helping my community.
Favorite Political Figure: JFK
Favorite Musician: Bono
Hobbies: Swimming, horseback riding

Austin Police Association

Today, Sergeant Wayne Vincent and Detective Chris Perkins, the president and secretary of the Austin Police Association respectively, kindly took time out of their busy schedules to speak with us. The APA strives to make public safety a priority in local politics, in addition to protecting the interests of the 1600 members of the Austin Police Department. The Campaign Academy would like to express thanks to the APA and the APD for keeping our community safe!

T.T.

Name: T. T.
Age: --
School and Year in School: --

Major (if applicable): --
Elevator Pitch: My name is T. T. and I am a university student.  This is my first time being involved on a political campaign. I first became interested in politics after taking a seminar focusing on the war on terror a few years back.

Favorite Political Figure: T. R.

Favorite Musician: Bach

Hobbies: N/A

Aditya K.

Name: Aditya K.

School: Westwood High School

Elevator Pitch: I was born in North Carolina but have lived in Texas for all but my first year of life. I have had a great interest in geography and the like since the second grade. I would always pick up an atlas and just read random facts from it. Logically, this interest in characteristics of our world expanded to include politics. I read the news every day to explore what goes on in our world. 2008 was the first time I actually followed a political campaign: that of Barack Obama. Although I did a little phonebanking for local Democrats like Representative Strama in 2008, Campaign Academy is my first full-fledged foray into the world of politics.

Favorite Political Figure: Barack Obama

Hobbies: Sing Indian Classical Music; Member of high school Symphony Orchestra; read news; UIL Academics;

Jaime Salazar

Name: Jaime Salazar
Age: 21
School and Year in School: Graduated from the University of Texas
Major (if applicable): Government
Elevator Pitch: I am a San Antonian. I am an Austinite. I am a Longhorn.
Favorite Political Figure: Lyndon B. Johnson
Favorite Musician: Jason Mraz
Hobbies: Hiking, swimming, and other outdoor events.

Aylin Saribudak

Name: Aylin Saribudak
Age: 21
School and Year: University of Texas, Senior
Major (if applicable): English
Elevator Pitch: I first became interested in politics at 10 years old after being exposed to the Bush-Gore presidential election in 2000. Perhaps under the influence of my father, I was sure that Gore was the better candidate, and ever since then I've considered myself a Democrat! Starting in high school, I knew I wanted to work to spread progressive values and ideas, although I didn't know exactly how I wanted to do that. I'm excited to learn how to campaign through this program, so that I can help elect/ re-elect candidates who share similar Democratic principles with me.
Favorite Political Figures: Barack H. Obama! Some historical politicians I admire are Ataturk and FDR.
Favorite Musicians: Andrew Bird, Joanna Newsom
Interests: human and animal rights, film, folk music

State Farm Meet the Candidates Forum

Today the Campaign Academy visited the State Farm Insurance Company's cafeteria for a meet and greet for all the potential candidates in the upcoming elections to meet with the workers of State Farm Insurance. The Campaign Academy students helped Rep. Mark Strama campaign in the event by meeting the voters and acclimating them to Mark's policies and stances on key issues. We also met Valinda Bolton, Diana Maldonado, and Donna Howard at the event and chatted with them about how their campaigns were doing. All in all it was a great opportunity for us to meet the candidates as well as become more aware of what the voters care about in.

Nikhil Kumar

Name: Nikhil Kumar
Age: 17
School and Year: Westwood High School- Senior
Elevator Pitch: My Name is Nikhil Kumar, before the Campaign Academy I really had no experience in the political arena, but after a week in the Academy I have realized that I would indeed like to run for office, maybe state senator or even governor one day.
Favorite Political Figure: Barack Obama and Kirk Watson
Favorite Musician: Eminem
Hobbies: Debate, DECA (business club),  Trading Stocks, and collecting shot glasses

Students Meet Bill White After His Keynote Speech

Campaign Academy student Sohin Gautam (funny hat) waits in line to shake hands with Bill White at the Democratic State Convention.

Texas Democratic Party State Convention Trip!

This past weekend, about half of the Campaign Academy ventured to the Texas Democratic Party State Convention in Corpus Christi. We were looking forward to funny hats, inspiring speeches and awkward dancing, and the convention did not disappoint!

Representative Strama introduced us to many legendary figures in Texas politics, such as Bill White, Linda Chavez-Thompson, Boyd Richie, Senfronia Thompson, Glen Maxey, and Molly Beth Malcolm, who kindly shared their experiences and words of wisdom with us.

We had the opportunity of attending various caucuses, including ones representing Mexican- Americans, LGBT interests, and the Asian-American community, which shed light on the diversity and inclusiveness of the Democratic Party.

We also were lucky enough to attend events such as the Texas Democratic Party Kickoff Event, the Bloggers’ Bash Party, and the Young Democrats Party, during which we participated in the lighter-hearted side of politics-- including, but not limited to, networking, snacking on hors d’oeuvres, and swaying to the music of cover bands.

The convention energized us for the months ahead, during which we will be working hard to turn Texas blue! We would like to sincerely thank everyone who made it possible for us to attend this convention. We learned so much and had a great time too!

Sam Brothers

Name: Sam Brothers
Age: 18
School and Year in School: I will be a Freshman at Georgetown University next year.
Major: I expect to be a government major.
Elevator Pitch: Ever since I was young, I've been an avid reader, and this reading inevitably drew me to Democratic politics from an early age. The last decade has been a fairly alarming one to become politically conscious in, with two wars, an economic downturn, and widespread environmental degradation. George Bush gave me a clear example of the kind of political leadership I was against, and now new, inspiring politicians such as Barack Obama, Patrick Rose, and Mark Strama are giving me examples of kinds of political leadership I can wholeheartedly support, and along with that leadership, hope for the future of the United States and Texas.
Favorite Political Figure: Josiah Bartlet- even though he is fictional, his integrity, charisma and courage have never ceased to impress me.
Favorite Musician: There's no way I can pick just one!
Hobbies: Rock climbing, Model United Nations, martial arts, reading.

Video from State Convention

Sam Hull

Name: Sam Hull
Age: 17
School and Year in School: Westlake High School, Junior
Elevator Pitch: I'm just getting started in politics and this is my first campaign experience
Favorite Political Figure: Mark Strama 
Favorite Musician: Tool
Hobbies: Tennis

Elise LeGros

Name: Elise LeGros
Age: 22
School and Year in School: Senior at St. Edward's University
Major: Global Studies
Elevator Pitch: Hi! Mark Strama Campaign Academy is my first venture into politics. I decided to get involved in the political scene after studying abroad, once in France, and more recently in Croatia and Serbia. It took going across the world to understand how powerful it is to be an American, how many freedoms we have at home, and how much I take this for granted. When abroad, I have been embarrassed by our government and former president too many times and I want to play some role (no matter how minuscule) in changing that. 
Favorite Political Figure: Mark Strama
Favorite Musician: Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips)
Favorite Hobbies: Scuba diving and baking desserts

Andrew Gomez

Name: Andrew Gomez
Age: 22
School and Year in School: Texas A&M '10
Major (if applicable):Political Science
Elevator Pitch: I have put in the time and research to learn all about the social science of politics and the Campaign Academy is my first opportunity to work in my related field. I graduate in December and hope to work in federal law enforcement and eventually study law.
Favorite Political Figure: Bill Clinton
Favorite Musician: George Strait
Hobbies:Fishing and working out

Kathleen Hoang

Name: Kathleen Hoang
Age: 17
School and Year in School: Westwood High School Class of 2011
Major (if applicable): Would like to double major in Political Science and Business
Elevator Pitch: Hi, my name is Kathleen Hoang and I'm an incoming senior at Westwood High School. The Campaign Academy has really opened my eyes because I've never done anything political before.
Favorite Political Figure: Bill Clinton and of course Mark Strama
Favorite Musician: Rolling Stones (band)
Hobbies: Reading, running, dancing, piano, violin, and of course campaigning (ish)

Rick Perry's Life of Luxury

Here's a great ad from Back to Basics PAC:

Great lunch with Reps. Bolton, Maldonado, and Howard!

Today we were visited by the Big Three: Diana Maldonado, Valinda Bolton, and Donna Howard. These women carry on the ideal of the Democratic Party, representing the minority population in politics: women. They are an inspiration to all of us at the Campaign Academy because they embody the virtue that even the unlikely can win office. This can especially be said for Diana Maldonado, who was a Democratic candidate and won in one of the most Republican districts.

We would like to thank these women for taking time out of their busy schedule to come and share their experiences with us.