Natalie DeCesare
Southwestern University
Natalie DeCesare, a third year student leader at Southwestern University, is deeply committed to collaborative dialogue and bipartisan change. For the last three years, she sought out campus-wide opportunities for collective impact, active engagement, and non-partisan dialogue. As Southwestern's Texas Civic Ambassador, she initiated Southwestern's first Democracy Plaza, an event bringing together different perspectives across campus to bridge divides and promote discussion. She is currently leading civic groups on campus and working on local political campaigns promoting civic engagement. She is a highly motivated leader and is committed to active citizenship.
Personal Statement
Political civic engagement became a passion of mine beginning in high school while working in City Hall. I carried the respect of the public's power to interact with their elected officials over to college, where I helped restart the College Republicans club. Partisan choices are needed to demonstrate civil discourse and hopefully bipartisan conversations, and I have taken an active role to co-host political events on campus with the spectrum of views participating. This was most recently captured during my time on the Voter Friendly Campus board, and my role as a Texas Civic Ambassador. I also choose to lead by example, having volunteered on a handful of primary and general election campaigns, serving as an assistant campaign manager, a state senator intern, a voter registrar, and a precinct chairman. I value the importance in engaging in all levels of government, because each public office shapes our livelihoods and the ethical choices we have. I love getting students to take hold of the power of democracy.
