Dear friend,
Ooooof! What an election cycle!
My work with Forward Montana began in February, when I was hired for the position of Campus Tour Manager. I traveled to campuses all over this great state, empowering students to vote. I learned a lot during this experience: how to drive on the highway in the winter, how to communicate with students and inspire them to vote and take on issues that matter to them, and how to get professors and other staff members super excited about empowering their students.
When campus tour ended in April, I craved more work in the field of investing in and educating my peers on how to use their voice. It was then I was offered the position of Six-Mill Levy Ambassador for Montana State University-Northern. There I had over 100 people pledge to vote for higher education funding, from first-time voters to people who had voted for decades!
This opportunity not only gave me more skill sets to continue in this field, but motivated me more than any candidate race that took place this November. After a couple of months off this summer, I had the opportunity to manage the new Six-Mill Levy Ambassadors for the fall. This gave me the unique, exciting opportunity to both develop professionally by supervising a team of organizers for the first time and continuing to work on the campaign I was so passionate about.
During this last position at FMT, I was challenged a lot. This fall was also my first semester at college, and I am a first-generation college student. I learned a lot about how to balance school and organizing, thanks to my co-workers! I am so thrilled that we had two ambassadors at UM, an ambassador at MSU, and a travelling ambassador this fall.
That being said, none of this would have been possible without your kind support. I cannot thank you enough— whether it be funding these positions so that I could learn from them, literally fueling me to get to campuses all over the state (gas is pricy!), or helping fund the totally motivating Youth Organizing Summit this September— I know we are all so thankful for your support here at Forward Montana.
In Solidarity,
Hannah Pate
6-Mill Levy Lead Ambassador
