My name is Sunjum Hundal, and although I am not old enough to vote, I am making a difference. Growing up I would turn on the TV and think to myself, “Oh God, more politics.” It seemed to me that CNN would always have some statistical analysis of how young people in our country would never vote or contribute to society because we just don’t care. And for a long time I thought that was truth, that we young people couldn’t change the world. Then came a message of hope and change from a relatively young senator from Illinois, and for once in my life I paid attention. I listened, I agreed, I believed. So when a friend of mine told me about the Young Democrats office in Stockton, I immediately wanted to get out there and help in any way I could. I must admit that I was pretty nervous at first, I‘ve never really been one to step out of my comfort zone. Still, I knew that something had to be done in order to correct the stereotypes of our age group. I devoted my time, went door to door, and even made phone calls, but it never really felt like work to me. Because unlike many other volunteer programs, the Young Democrats allowed me to take part in something meaningful while simultaneously having the time of my life. Constant laughter filled our office and my cheeks would be killing me by the end of the day because I couldn’t stop smiling. I will never forget the people I met throughout this whole process, we were a team, a family, all working together to achieve the same goals.

When Barack Obama announced, “I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you,” we Young Democrats understood the truth behind his words. We are all a part of this historic journey, and we will never forget what our time and our effort was able to achieve. Not only have I met some of the most amazing people, but I too have grown as a person. I now see how important it is to educate oneself and to exercise our right to voice our opinions. People at school know how I feel because I no longer hide my thoughts, in fact it is quite the opposite. I’m not afraid to stand up and say what I believe is right, I even sport political pins expressing my views. I've been so inspired by my experience with the YDA that I never want to look back; I may even consider a career in politics because of it. One thing is for sure, I will continue to be involved with the YDA and I will continue to make a difference.