Candidate Profiles
Sammy Knapp and Ella Cooper
It is officially KUNA season for High school 2 students. The excitement has been growing for weeks, and now we all get to celebrate our countries and debate till we drop! This time of year is also very special because it is KUNA election season. This year’s candidates have been polishing their speeches and perfecting their causes. And now they get to share them with us. The struggles of the past year have led us to hold this year’s KUNA online, but these candidates couldn’t be more excited to campaign this week. We had a moment to talk with each of these candidates and get to know them and their platforms that they are so passionately knowledgeable about. These candidates are Amelia Roy, Jadyn Bell, Myka Smith-Jackson, Olivia Walton, and Teagan Fowler.
Vote Ms. Jackson (ooo), I am for real
First, we got to talk to Mykah- Smith Jackson, and it was for real. She is a student at the STEAM Academy in Lexington, she has been wanting to run ever since she started getting involved in the Y program. “ I wanted to know all of the inner and outer workings of KUNA, so I could well represent the organization.” This mindset has been helping her choose her main issues and platforms. “ I want this year to have platforms that no one is talking about and don’t get enough notice.” Her first platform is focused on the ever-growing AIDS and HIV epidemic. She chose this platform because she believes that coverage of this issue is very little and wants to raise awareness so other countries can help combat this issue. Her second platform is Clean water, an issue that has been going on for quite some time. “ As much as technology and things have been produced to help these countries, they should have access to clean water. The last platform she chose to run with is access to justice and human rights. She tells us that with the world today being so new to us, we should adjust to treating everyone equally, no matter their differences.
Rock the era, vote Olivia
Next, I got to talk to Olivia Walton, who inspired delegates with her nod to, arguably, the best Billy Joel song, Vienna. Olivia goes to Bardstown High School, and was planning on running for a position at her KYA conference, but felt discouraged because of the virtual format. Her reaction is one that most Y-kids shared. “ I was kind of disheartened, but when KUNA came, it was my only chance.” She is very passionate about servant leadership and taking action, which shows through her platforms. Her first one is cultural justice, the Black Lives Matter movement this past year, and more recently the Pacific, Asian American activism made a big impact on her choosing this issue. She saw how pressing these issues were, and in her eyes, they need to be addressed. The second platform she told us about was agricultural education. She took some inspiration from a very special person in her life. “ My grandfather is a dairy farmer, so I wanted to make farming sustainability a focus.” Her last, but most certainly not least, is climate action. An issue we all know and debate about. She makes the point that we are the ones that caused the issue, but we can also be the ones to reverse it.
Amelia Roy- Power of One
Talking to candidate Amelia Roy we were reminded of the introduction to her candidate speech where she spoke about the Power of One. She told me how research into her favorite of her platforms, Women’s Empowerment, led her to her other two, Quality Education and Protection for Children. She told us that it was important to her that her platforms connect, after all, no issue exists in isolation. Fixing one problem makes the next easier to battle.
It is clear that Roy truly believes in the message she spreads too. When asked she said her favorite service project that she has done was a three-week donation drive for the Wayside Center in Louisville, a Women’s Shelter in Indiana, and other organizations with similar goals. She also accepted cash donations and took the time following the drive to purchase the needed items.
What inspired this determined go-getter? Roy cites all those who have run for office before her as her inspiration. To those coming after her, she says not to be afraid to meet new people. In the Y and at KUNA we support each other and push each other to succeed. We know that the things we regret are the things we didn’t go for.
Use Your Power, Vote for Fowler!
Next up was Teagan Fowler. Fowler cited last year’s KUNA 2 Secretary-General, Tristan Black as her inspiration to submit her candidacy this year saying, “It felt like he was imploring us to care and to take matters into our own hands, and I wanted immediately to be that person who inspired other people.”
This theme ran throughout my interview with Fowler as she passionately spoke about specific issues facing the world today. From fighting for mental health through a global suicide prevention app to fighting against global warming by making green energy sources it was clear that the platforms were close to home for this self-described queer, vegetarian, leftist.
Already Fowler has been fighting for these platforms in her community. For the past year, she has used her position as the co-chair on the Voice for Recycling committee to clean up a local park or community center on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month. She says this is especially important now as people seek places to feel normal amidst a pandemic that has caused worsening mental health in many.
On her third and favorite platform, Ending the Uyghur Genocide. Fowler noted the importance of being globally aware saying, “It seemed like the adults in my life who were voting citizens needed to be aware of this and they just weren’t. So I decided that if no one’s going to take this seriously then the youth will, and we really do”
It is clear that Fowler has been inspired by the Y and wishes to leave inspiration behind her. Her advice to delegate? “You can change someone’s life in the debate- I’ve seen it happen.”
Jay is the Way
Finally, Jadyn Bell spoke to me about her lifelong love of leading. She has a strong desire to effect change and is planning on continuing to be a leader in the future where she hopes to open her own orthodontist practice.
Bell spoke passionately on all her platforms stating her concern that water scarcity has gotten worse in recent years. She also spoke on Violence Against Children and Human Trafficking. She noted that while Human trafficking can, and does, affect people of all ages and genders, it primarily affects women and children.
When asked what advice she would give to delegates Bell said, “I would tell them to come with an open mind and tell them to not be so shy. Because the people at KUNA accept everybody. No one’s ever judged.” she also told delegates to come ready to learn. After all, KUNA is full of issues you may not have heard about before.
Every year, the candidates give amazing speeches and run some pretty hard-fought campaigns. Some even better than real politicians. KUNA would not be the same without them. These candidates have gone through so much adjusting to the online format, but hopefully, soon we will get back to the in-person conferences we all know and love. I will leave you with a Beyonce quote, that feels most relevant at this moment. “ Who run the world? Girls!” We can’t wait to see what these boss ladies do next.
