My Passion for Public Service Robert Bierman

For more than three generations, my family has answered the call of elected public office. My father served in the State Legislature, my Grandfather and Great Grandfather as locally elected officials. Most teenagers my age have a passion for sports or the latest video games, but I would much rather watch a debate or a Congressional hearing. Since I can remember, I have always done my best to increase my friends' political participation through discussion and debate. It is every citizen's civic duty to be informed about the government and to know as much as possible about those who serve. It is not enough that we vote; rather, we must be educated participants.

Essentially, this means that politics is in my blood and always will be. From an early age, I can remember my father delivering his impassioned speeches from the floor of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. As a child, I would walk door to door with my father as he handed out flyers and informed voters of his campaign policies. Fast-forward ten years to the 2012 presidential election and now I am a 15-year-old campaign worker, going door to door yet again. Most of the time the homeowner would open the door and be shocked at how young I was to be working on a...