All I Need to Know I Learned in Second Grade

My political career began at the age of seven--in second grade. Who would be our class' first student government representatives? School rules mandated that one girl and one boy be democratically chosen by our peers. In a swift, hand-raise vote, I won my first election.

High school was not as simple. I could not understand why I was often the only girl running for a position; and it bothered me that the boys could stand on stage, wear eccentric clothes, tell jokes-"I woke up this morning, looked in the mirror, and said  'Josh, put some pants on'"-and win elections. When a girl gave a speech, she could not appear too serious, for fear that the student body would deem her "rude;" she could not be too funny, as they might think she was "trying too hard;" she could not dress too nicely, because she'd be labeled "conceited," but she could not dress too casually, or she would be considered "unattractive."

Then there was Hillary. As I watched her accomplish what no other woman had, my empathy and admiration deepened, but so did my disappointment. It was like high school: when she laughed, she was "shrill;" the fabric of her pantsuits was more frequently discussed than her foreign policy stances; and her husband's indiscretions were usually of greater concern than her political ideology, which our society so badly needed. I thought back to second grade: if only it was understood that girls and boys were equally suited for the job.

Thirteen years have passed since second-grade, and I am bothered. This year, my running mate and I made University history when we were the first all-female "executive ticket" ever to be elected to office; I have only thirteen Democratic female role-models in the Senate; and I have to cross national borders to enjoy the leadership of a female president.

While I have managed to navigate gender disparities that hinder female involvement in leadership roles, I am not prepared to pass that burden on to daughters and granddaughters. I want Emerge America to teach me how to make more people think like second-graders--to know, without question, that both boys and girls must be elected.

Caitlin Meyer, Emerge America Intern