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Get to know Nora and her exciting career in politics as she works tirelessly in anticipation for this year’s Presidential election.
What was your experience like at SHC?
I loved the general focus of SHC and the community, especially regarding social justice. I was active as a Lasallian Vincentian Youth and I had many opportunities to help in the community of San Francisco and visit other places. One of my highlights at SHC was Venaver Montana. It was one of the most formative weeks of my life. Seeing how different other people live within the United States and their struggle was eye opening. This eventually led me down the path to now work on the Presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton.
Which instructors influenced your development?
Mr. Krueger was one of my favorite teachers and led the Venaver trip. I still keep in touch with him to this day. Ms. Bell made me feel more confident in math and I ended up teaching math SAT classes later on. I wouldn’t have been able to have that foundation without her. Mr. Jordan was my AP English teacher and had really engaging classes. There are a lot of faculty members who I still keep in touch with.
What did you do after graduation?
I majored in political science at Fordham University. I took a political science class my sophomore year and decided that is what I wanted to follow for a career. I became President of the College Democrats Club. We helped with political campaigns, including for President Obama in 2008. My path took a slightly different turn and I ended up volunteering for Let’s Get Ready and I taught SAT Prep classes to low-income high students in the Bronx. I was hired as a site director my senior year and managed the people teaching the classes. I fell in love with the organization and worked as a program manager for three years after I graduated.
How did your career turn back to politics?
I had been talking with Andrew White ’08 who was already working on Hillary Clinton’s Campaign. I thought about going all-in and decided to move to Iowa. I started organizing in October of 2015 for the caucus. I was there working 12 hour days, 7 days a week. I have been able met a lot of great politicians and people like US Rep. John Lewis and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Following Iowa, I traveled to Nebraska to organize the caucus there and then New York to the Bronx. We won the Bronx Borough by the biggest margin of victory within the state. I was also fortunate to introduce Hillary Clinton at a rally and look forward to continuing that relationship. Now I am the regional organization director for Guilford County in North Carolina, which includes Greensboro.
Were you surprised about how the last year has turned out for you?
I really jumped in not knowing what I was getting into. The power of people is to mobilize or empower the communities and get people to advocate for themselves, trying to get their neighbors involved and things like that.
What advice do you have for students interested in following a similar path?
I love fieldwork. If people are interested in working on campaigns it is a great place to start and you can see the mechanics of how a campaign really works.
What will life be like for you after the election?
It is very hard to see November 8, and I can’t imagine what life is like once it doesn’t exist. I have found campaigns inspiring and getting people elected to fight for the people is hard work, but work that I like. I would think of working on different campaign, local politics are important, and making sure people turn out even for non-presidential elections is how change happens.