The We The People program has affected my life in so many ways. While I was participating in the program, I was able to learn more than I could have ever expected. It pushed me to learn and grow more than I thought was possible - and sometimes to what felt like was my limit! But that is something I am still grateful for today. I was able to recognize and learn about various topics, many of which concerned people that had different beliefs and backgrounds than I do. However, that was what made it so amazing. Learning to understand the situations of others, gaining perspective/putting myself in their shoes, and forming my own opinions surrounding many different political issues and personal values has since been one of the greatest things I have learned to do in my life.
You begin to look at people with "new eyes" when you begin to gain understanding surrounding the situation they are in and the issues and topics that concern and affect them. This helped me then, helped me while I was living in a foreign country for a year and a half doing everything I could to understand the people, and I am confident will continue to help me for the rest of my life. We the People did help me feel confident and much more comfortable discussing politics and the constitution with others (although I may need a refresher course soon!) I still feel like when it comes to politics, if it weren't for my time in WTP, then I wouldn't even be able to participate in an educated conversation about politics. WTP did not just change the way I looked at the world. It helped influence the way I do. WTP changed my life and I hope it will continue to change the lives of the students who are lucky enough to be involved in it.
-Marci Baldwin
I went to a top rated law school with a full ride scholarship almost entirely because of this program. It has inspired a life long love of constitutional law and has helped me with many of the skills I need in my current career. It taught me how to communicate complex topics clearly and how to work well with team members. It also inspired a reverence for constitutional that i think makes me a better law enforcement officer.
-Devon Beeney
We The People was the best part of my Senior Year of high school, and probably the best thing of my high school experience outside of competitive debate. I felt that the We The People program was one of the few things in high school that really challenged me academically, and taught me subject matter in a way that was engaging and applicable, rather than simply learning information to spit back out on a test. After We The People I feel much more confident discussing politics and the constitution with others, and it served as a springboard for me to delve deeper into constitutional law and questions of political theory. We The People also helped illustrate the problem of civic education (or lack thereof) in our country today, and helped me to be more motivated regarding civic engagement and civic education.
- Carter Martindale
We the People was the most significant and important program I could have ever participated in as a youth. I didn't have the GPA to get into WTP but I so badly wanted to participate. Thanks to Terrel Baldwin and Mike Rigby, I was able to participate. Within the first few days, I made the goal to win the national unit award at the end of the year. Nothing could stop me and eventually, my unit. As fate would have it, we did just that. That was a watershed moment in my life. I was addicted. I knew I could accomplish ANYTHING I was determined to chase. Three years later, I was an intern for the House of Representatives which led to being an aide in the US Senate. This is just the beginning, I plan to do great things for this country- it all started with We the People. Truly life-changing, I will be forever grateful for my time in it.
- Riley Smith
We The People has completely transformed my learning experience. It taught me far more valuable things than just course work. This program helped me develop essential skills like research, public speaking, and critical thinking. Not only do I feel confident in discussing politics and the constitution, but it also helped me feel confident in respectfully disagreeing with others and defending my point of view. The education and skills I learned from this program changed how I look at the world and I understand much about the government and constitution than my work associates who did not have the chance to participate in this program. This program has not only helped me academically but I also had the opportunity to connect with all different types of individuals who different view points and it's helped me grow as an individual.
- Holly Lemon
I had a fantastic experience with the actual competition of We the People. The studying that led up to it was not the greatest, I found I was more stressed than I've ever been before, and I still didn't score very well on the tests, but once I knew which unit I was doing I threw myself into it and my group ended up doing really well. I love public speaking/debate, and my group's judges were very nice to us and gave us generous scores, considering that we presented as a priori, information that they explained to us was incorrect. After the fact, I find that I'm more familiar with the constitution, and I'm more comfortable sharing my political views and more interested in the news; I've gone from never reading the news at all (because we don't have a TV) to reading the news on a regular basis, although I don't enjoy it because I find it overall quite depressing. I think this program has led me to substantial improvement in making logical arguments and politely disagreeing with other people's arguments.
- Elisabeth