Houston’s vast city landscape panned out in front of him. Buildings raced across his eyes and the familiar city lights dimly illuminated the evening sky. He was left alone again to the familiar hum of the metro.
CVHS Junior Julian Nguyen has always had an eye for observing and noticing different problems within his community. However, Nguyen learned the most from the days he spent riding the metro bus home, where he had the chance to observe the various urban challenges Houston faces especially regarding problems with infrastructure and forms of public transportation.
“Taking the Metro Bus to the school opened my eyes to improvements that are needed in my community, especially as a middle school-aged kid. I noticed that a lot of infrastructure was not that safe and that improvements could be made to transportation to make it more accessible. I think transportation is important to not only students but to everyone. Some of Houston’s most vulnerable communities rely on public transportation,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen has kept his keen observational skills and passion for solving problems in the Houston community to this day, which prompted him to work for Abbie Kamin’s campaign in June. Upon gaining the opportunity to work with her, he applied immediately. Nguyen’s main goal for the campaign was to increase voter participation in the district and advertise Abbie Kamin’s campaign. Nguyen encourages all Houstonians to vote in the local elections.
“You’re not just voting on things like representatives. You’re also voting on ballot measures that greatly affect your personal life. In our local elections, we tend to have a low voter turnout and people must go out and make their voices heard. You can make a lot of change in your community just by voting,” said Nguyen.
In the summer, Nguyen’s main focus was to launch the campaign to the residents of District C through block walking, phone banking, yard sign distribution and engaging voters. Nguyen’s favorite activity was block walking, where he got to meet and interact with the different constituents of the district and observe more about the different neighborhood issues in the district. Nguyen observed things such as water leaks and different projects such as the Heights biking lanes and listened to the concerns of the people.
“We’re always trying to reach as many voters as we can. Door-to-door canvassing Is one of the most effective ways of reaching voters and increasing turnout, you can increase local elections by like 12 to 14%. Learning about the concerns of different people allows our office and team to learn about the different needs of each community. Many people were concerned with drainage and traffic,” said Nguyen.
Although Nguyen wasn’t always met with a happy face, working with Abbie Kamin taught him how to be understanding and think from different perspectives.
“Some of the challenges I’ve had on my job so far are unhappy constituents, but it is always our job to understand and voice their concerns. People can often be frustrated with the city council and always being open-minded will allow our team to find a solution for them,” said Nguyen.
One of the most valuable experiences Nguyen gained was making meaningful connections. He learned about different community organizers and got more involved in his community. He often attended different events such as the Picnic to Save White Oak Bayou — an event designed for families to connect with local representatives and candidates dedicated to conserving White Oak Bayou, providing an opportunity for community engagement.
“Through my experience on her campaign, I learned a lot about politics happening in the Houston area. Like different proposition ballots happening and what city council does what city controls all these different positions that get voted for in our municipal elections. I met a lot of people organizing for prospective campaigns as well, fighting for what they believe in.”
Beyond just making connections in his community, Nguyen has also formed them among like-minded individuals at school. Nguyen is the President of the Carnegie Multi-Racial Student Organization, a club dedicated to spreading awareness about the history and identity of multi-racial students through discussions, games and volunteering.
“I think that my experience on this job has shown me a lot of great leaders from Abbie Kamin to my campaign manager, they inspire me to work hard and make connections and that’s something I’m trying to emulate within my own life and at school,” said Nguyen.
As a multi-racial individual, Ngyuen embraces his ethnic background of being Vietnamese and European and uses this identity to empower others. His initiative in helping the community extends past the political field, and with his club, he hopes to utilize its foundation to help various organizations.
“Find something you enjoy and go for it,” said Nguyen.
