Whitney Tyler
Wright State University
Whitney Tyler is passionate about ensuring citizen participation in the voting process and dedicates much of her time and energy to this effort. She is extremely knowledgeable on the subject and exemplifies the drive and commitment it takes to affect change. One of the greatest assets is her willingness and ability to inspire her peers to participate in our democracy, regardless of their political views. Whitney’s engagement with Campus Vote has been an excellent vehicle to engage her passion to ensure a vibrant democracy while engaging with universities across the country. Whitney’s strongest assets are her ability to impact other students around voting and her ability to think and act strategically.
In her work with Campus Vote, Whitney has developed a host of new skills that she readily puts to good use. This is easily accomplished by her diligence and her goal-oriented mind-set. She is also known as to inspire her peers with her guiding principle, “Dream Big, Work Hard.”
Whitney appreciates the experience her work has provided because of the many lessons she has learned, the skills set she’s developed, and the meaningful relationships she’s built in the process of leading voter engagement over the past two years.
Personal Statement
I became interested in politics while sitting at my family’s dinner table while listening as my parents squabbled over presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. I paid rapt attention to issues involving immigration, poverty, the Iraq War, DADT Repeal, and healthcare. I hung onto every word they said. As I grew older, my passion for politics increased, and so did my indignation at the lack of participation and the increasing amount of voter suppression in our democracy. In 2017, I began working with Campus Vote Project (CVP) to use non-partisan methods to register students to vote, help them gather voting information, and increase youth election turnout. I am also a member of the CVP Student Advisory Board. I have hosted dozens of voter registration drives, helped students create voting plans, held National Issues Forums and casual issue discussions, helped students access voter guides, and collaborated with other universities to better our engagement efforts. My work with youth voting engagement continuously evokes my passion to fight for democracy and intensifies my dedication to personal activism. My activism has encouraged my educational pursuit of a Political Science Ph.D and has guided me towards a career of activism and political engagement.
