From the president
Amelia’s work with JMU’s Madison Center for Civic Engagement reflects her leadership and unwavering dedication to civic engagement through the Dukes Vote voter registration initiative. In her role, Amelia leads campus-wide, student voter education efforts on a campus of 22,000 students. Her success is due to her careful understanding of state-wide policy and leadership skills in executing voter registration, education, and social media campaigns for both in and out-of-state students.
Personal Statement
I became involved in voting efforts at 17, noticing divisive differences among my peers and a lack of knowledge. I found that many struggled with structural barriers and normative barriers to voting as well. I became a civic leader by encouraging my peers to vote and guiding them to the right resources, like legislator sites and voter guides. I participated as an election worker at my local polling place when I attended Nebraska. I noticed the highest turnout was among the older generation. Learning the role of political environments and how they impact voter participation has been fascinating. At the Madison Center, I have led a coalition of 15 undergraduate students to engage 20,000 JMU students to educate them about voting and encourage them to turn out for election days. In organizing a traveling town hall, we bring candidates to students' living spaces so they can converse with elected officials intimately. I am also a key leader in campus dialogue endeavors where there are open dialogue events for students to share thoughts and bridge divides on difficult issues. These efforts combat normative barriers to voting as well as address structural barriers.