As soon as you discover there is a whole political world outside of your campus, it often seems overwhelming figuring out where you belong and what will offer the greatest benefit to your career. A lot of that confusion comes because we don’t entirely know yet who we are and what political positions we believe in. You can do what I did, and take any opportunity that comes your way, prioritizing the ones that seem to offer fame and fortune. But if you’re not careful, you might support a cause that you’ll someday come to regret.
You’ve got to study your worldview, and if the existential crisis hasn’t kicked in yet, going to a college that seeks to uproot every assumption you have about reality will. That will come in its own time, and you need to answer the call to discovering truth instead of fading out into being another cookie-cutter sports fan or basic pop-culture girl.
One of the best ways to do this is to attend a philosophy-based conference and even start your own group on campus. One of my favorite organizations, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, offers an incredible amount of resources for students to start book clubs on campus as well as host speaking events, debate societies, and much more. Once you get your feet wet with political philosophy, they’ll also fund your venture to develop an alternative student paper, writing ideas from a right-of-center perspective instead of just being a mouthpiece for your university. They host several conferences throughout the year, and I highly recommend going to any of them.
Another safe organization to work with is Students for Liberty. As an international nonprofit group, they work with tens of thousands of students around the world, empowering each of them in their individual pursuits. One of my favorite aspects of this organization is the entrepreneurial spirit empowering students who want to forge their own path.
Attending one of their conferences is an excellent introduction to the libertarian world, especially if you find yourself being more liberal or libertarian on one or more issues. Their next big conference, LibertyCon, is coming up in January. You’ll have to pay your way for a hotel and travel, but if you really want to succeed, you’ll find a way to make it.
My friends and I pack like sardines into hotel rooms, and Megabus tickets are sometimes as low as five bucks. It may not be glamorous, but networking at these conferences is not only how you land your next job, but panels hosted by speakers from Steve Forbes to Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., are a must-see. Register soon, and if you’re lucky, you may even be able to snag a scholarship to attend.
Even if you can’t make it to LibertyCon, getting involved can be a great way of connecting with fabulous philosophy organizations, such as the Atlas Society, and pro bono legal defense nonprofit groups such as FIRE or ADF.
For those who are interested in a more structured club-based organization, you’ll want to be involved with Young Americans for Freedom or Young Americans for Liberty. Both of these organizations will help you organize on campus, offering boxes of free resources to express your political beliefs. They both hold several conferences regionally and in Washington, D.C., throughout the year, and attending any of them will expose you to new job opportunities and experiences for learning.
Last but not least, any list of opportunities would be incomplete without mentioning CPAC. The conservative carnival of the year, this is where every organization comes to make their public presence known. You’ll have a chance to meet celebrity politicians and pundits casually walking through the hallways, and you could even be offered a job through the Leadership Institute’s Conservative Jobs project.
CPAC isn’t intentionally the place where you’ll grow philosophically, but simply being exposed to different types of right-of-center folk will show you that “conservative” is not a worldview, even though friends with like-minded beliefs can come together in that name to fight for causes we all care about.
When I came to campus, I thought I knew everything I needed to know and immediately got involved with as many of these organizations as possible. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, and no organization can make you into being the next President Trump or former President Ronald Reagan because you need to be the next you. Be yourself, be ready to grow, actually read, and when you believe the time has come to make an impact, trust your instincts. Too many people let the psychological fear of thinking we are on the losing team prevent them from speaking up on campus, but there’s more of us than you think.
Don’t let your professors kill your spirit and squash your ambition. You can be a hero, and we all have an obligation to fight for what’s right. These organizations exist for you to use. Sometimes that means you have to pay your dues, but that doesn’t mean they get to use you. It’s a symbiotic relationship, and thanking them is how you will keep their support throughout your college career, and even after you graduate.
William Nardi (@williamznardi) is a contributor to Red Alert Politics. He is a student at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a former intern for the Washington Examiner.
