By Ellie Shalvarjian
Staff Writer
Since Mira Costa sophomore Brianna Cruz is not old enough to vote, she has taken her interest for politics to the phone booths.
Cruz recently started working at a phone bank put on by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign at a Los Angeles resident’s house on Jan. 30 with friend Maritza Berta.
“From this experience, I have become more educated and interested in politics, and I think it would be interesting to learn more about [politics] in the future,” Cruz said.
At the phone bank, Clinton supporters from the Los Angeles area came together to call Nevada residents to encourage them to go to the caucuses, whether or not they are voting for Clinton, and to ask them to volunteer for her presidential campaign.
“Working at the phone bank was significant since I got to interact with many different people that I would’ve never known,” Cruz said. “It was inspiring to be around people who care so much about politics.”
Cruz and Berta both support Clinton as their number-one candidate for president. Clinton is the most qualified candidate out of the Democrats and Republicans, since she has the most experience in politics and has a well-formulated plan to aid poverty-stricken Americans, Berta and Cruz said.
“We have a lot at stake in this election, and Clinton has been fighting for those less fortunate her entire life, and I believe she will continue to do so,” Berta said. “She has the experience and toughness to handle all aspects of the job.”
The callers work off of a pre-written script that gives them steps to follow for various conversational situations that they might run into. This includes speaking to residents who are decidedly voting for Clinton, voting for another candidate or are undecided.
“It was an amazing experience,” Berta said. “It was great how eager everyone was to help Clinton campaign because everyone genuinely cares so much about her winning the election.”
Although this was Cruz’s first political experience, she said that it was rewarding and she hopes to learn more about the intricacies in running a campaign for president as she spends more time involved in political affairs.
“If you are inspired by politics, then this is a great experience to learn more about it,” Cruz says.
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