Dozens of homes, hundreds of cars and 500 phone calls later, I am not the same person that I was before volunteering for a political campaign. This experience opened my eyes to the realities of the political campaigning process and gave me a new view of democracy. Through volunteering, I gained a deeper appreciation and understanding of the democratic process while learning important lessons that all responsible citizens, young or old, can benefit from. I learned these important lessons through my interactions the campaign, participation in campaign tasks and encounters with volunteers.

Although walking through the large doors of the campaign headquarters took a great deal of courage, I was forced to put my fears aside in the face of an intimidating situation. My first impressions of the campaign surprised me, as I found a nearly deserted office with the lights off and just one man at the front desk instead of the bustling headquarters I had envisioned.

When the candidate came to the front, he greeted me and shared his genuine gratitude for my help. My personal interaction with the candidate made me realize that behind the bumper stickers, commercials and yard signs is an ordinary person, not so different from myself, trying to make a difference by participating in the democratic process.

Although I participated in sign-waving and canvassing as well, the task of making phone calls intimidated me most because I was always uncomfortable talking to strangers, even on the phone. However, as I made more calls, I gained confidence in speaking to strangers, improving this useful skill.

Although most people were very polite, either offering their support or politely declining, there was a handful of voters who hung up or even lashed out at me. Whether these people were fed-up with politics or had strong views against the candidate, I was nevertheless appalled by their lack of cordiality. It is a shame that these people felt the need to be rude and argumentative because they did not agree with the message I was trying to deliver to them. This experience taught me to not be rude to someone on account of a mere difference of opinion.

I also learned that when dealing with someone rude or offensive, you can only be polite and refrain from resorting to this kind of behavior. This is a skill that I will carry with me into real life situations.

Through this process, I had the honor of encountering several inspiring volunteers. The volunteer who impacted me most was a disabled war veteran. Working alongside him reminded me of the true base of the campaign process that is often lost among the poll numbers, political controversies and vicious ads — the people. Seeing this volunteer directly participating in the political system was inspiring to me because of his effort to be a facilitator of change in society and to improve his own situation. This, in a nutshell, is what the beauty of political volunteering and democracy is — having a hand in controlling your future and making a difference in society for something you believe in.

I think that volunteering for a political campaign is an opportunity everyone should experience. This opportunity is especially valuable for teens under the voting age, as it gave me a deeper understanding of politics while allowing me to be directly involved in the democratic process. However, what surprised me most about this experience was how much I learned about myself, and how significantly I grew through this invaluable opportunity.