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Full Q&A with Teagan Sebba
After graduating in May 2013, FCHS Alumna Teagan Sebba went on to major in Political Science and is now the Student Body President at Seton Hall University.
How did you get involved in student government?
I was appointed out of the Freshman class to be the Freshman Senator and then just took on every opportunity from there.
If you had to campaign for your position, what was that like? Describe the campaign process.
I had to run a school wide campaign for President last spring and it was a lot of work but totally worth it. It was hard to get students excited about the election and even interested enough to get out and vote, so I really tried to focus my campaign on incorporating the students themselves. The election cycle was two weeks long and then there were two days of online voting.
Did you run on a specific platform? If so, what was it?
My platform was the concept of “personal leadership” and that it was “about time.” About time was supposed to be a pun because not only was it “about time” to elect me, but the majority of issues facing our student body dealt with time, such as cafeteria times, the time that our school shuttle runs, having a 24 hour study space on campus and working to create a common hour once a week where classes don’t meet.
Do you hope to be involved in politics the rest of your life?
I do hope to be involved in politics for the rest of my life, I’m not sure if I’m much good at anything else! I’m kidding, but really. I thrive off of other people and I have this tremendous need to give back. I would love to be a lawyer but I think that the American justice system is in a bad place right now, and the way that I could bring about the most change and help the most people is by getting into politics and working for the people themselves.
What attracts you to politics?
I’m attracted to the idea of giving back to my country that has given me so much and working to help people who haven’t been as lucky as I have been. I feel like I have been given the best life and great circumstances, but I can’t just live this life and not use it to give back.
Who are your political role models, and why are they your role models?
Barack Obama’s election was the first election I was really a part of and it has inspired me ever since. Obama was able to combine a personal connection, grassroots movements and an underlying leadership style based on empathy. I love him for that.
Locally – John Kefalas. He’s the State Senator for our district (FCHS) and he leads with his heart. He’s a true public servant and I admire him so much for that.
Also Mr. Nelson, I have to make him proud lol
Locally – John Kefalas. He’s the State Senator for our district (FCHS) and he leads with his heart. He’s a true public servant and I admire him so much for that.
Also Mr. Nelson, I have to make him proud lol
What is your advice to high school students who are interested in politics?
High School students interested in politics have to get involved. (talk to my little sister Taryn if you need Fort Collins political gigs, she’s amazing) Find what you’re passionate about and then dedicate yourself. At FCHS I was involved in National Honor Society, Boosters Club, Step Team and the Tennis team so I’m sure that that involvement helped me get positions later on. However, when President Obama was running for his reelection that’s when I really got involved, so this upcoming 2016 election is the best advice I can give to high school students right now. Whether it’s a Presidential candidate or a Senate/Congressional/local candidate running in November, they always need volunteers and will take anyone! In September of our senior year, my three best friends and I were walking around Old Town and complaining about politics. We walked right past one of Obama’s campaign volunteer offices and realized that we didn’t have the right to complain if we weren’t working to change anything. So we walked right back and offered to help. They handed us cellphones and phonebooks right there and we had jobs the rest of the campaign cycle. The opportunities are there you just have to try!
If you could solve one problem we have as a nation right now, what would it be, and why?
If I could solve one problem that we have as a nation right now, it would be our issues with police brutality and the underlying racism that it stems from. We’re taught that the police and our government are meant to protect us, and it is un-American to live in a country where we might have to fear the authority figures. I can’t wrap my head around an America where a 12 year old boy can be killed for playing in a park with a plastic gun because he was viewed as a threat, or that a woman can be arrested and end up dead after failing to use a blinker. If this is as big of an increasing trend as we’re seeing right now, that’s not an America that I would be proud to be a part of and if I had the power to, I would fix it right now.
If you could invite any historical figure (living or dead) to dinner, who would it be, and why?
James Madison or Thomas Jefferson – I want to know their clear intent of every part of our Constitution so we can stop arguing about “what the framers wanted” and actually get things done.
What is your favorite food?
Chipotle
What is your favorite song?
Right now it’s everything on the new Kanye
What is your favorite movie?
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
What is your best memory of your time at FCHS?
My first Step Team performance at the homecoming assembly! The whole team was so down to earth and took me in when I just needed something more in high school. The assembly was a combination of hard work and creativity and it felt like the biggest thing in the world to me at the time (LOL)