This is What I Was Looking For
By Fernando Cordova, Blue Future Summer and Fall Progress and Change organizer
Going into college as a Politics major, I knew that I wanted to spend my time becoming involved as much as possible. Knowing that DC was literally and figuratively the political capital of the US, I wanted to take advantage of every opportunity that I had at my disposal. During my time so far at the Catholic University of America, I’ve been able to do just that. From attending political lectures around the district, joining College Democrats, to interning on Capitol Hill, I’ve been able to experience what the world of politics looks like firsthand, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
What I found to be most fulfilling about my political involvement so far is my work with organizing different campaigns and interacting with different voters. This turned out to be rewarding because although legislating on Capitol Hill is crucial to understanding today’s political climate, being involved in campaigns that seek higher office is just as important. From canvassing in Virginia to phone banking for 2020 candidates, I’ve been able to witness the hard work that goes into political organizing to get a candidate’s message out there. When the pandemic started to affect all aspects of our lives, I was bummed out about the fact that I probably wouldn’t be politically active during a time of such distress. I remember it being April and wondering what I would be doing during the summer. I knew that I wanted to phonebank and be involved in as many campaigns as possible even though I wouldn’t interact personally with voters. That’s where Blue Future came in.
After scrolling through my friend’s Instagram feed, I came across a post about Blue Future’s Summer for Progress & Change program. I looked further into it and found out that it mainly consisted of working with progressive campaigns through means of phone banking, text banking, voter registration, and participating in weekly training sessions with the BlueFuture cohort covering different aspects of political campaigning. When I first saw the post, I thought to myself, “this is exactly what I was looking for.” After changing my summer plans, I saw this as an opportunity to be politically involved despite the current circumstances. So, I decided to apply and was offered a position in the summer cohort.
Since June, I’ve made and sent countless calls and texts and have interacted with voters in a way that I would never have thought possible. Blue Future has provided me with a platform to not only become politically involved virtually but also provide me with the tools to succeed professionally. From working with the Summer, Fall, and now Georgia cohorts, I’ve experienced firsthand the fruits that would come from my work with such an amazing group of people. Nick’s hype speeches before the election, covering different aspects of campaign structure, and hearing from incredible speakers such as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries have provided me with the means to further pursue opportunities within this field of work.
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About Fernando: Fernando Cordova is a student a The Catholic University of America majoring in Politics and a minor in Theology. He is from Weehawken, NJ, and I’m a firm believer that New Jersey is indeed the BEST state. At CUA, Fernando is involved with College Democrats, formed CUA’s Students for Biden chapter, and sings with the Washingtones, one of 3 a-cappella groups at Catholic.
