KIPP Through College Alumni: Why Your Vote Matters

KIPP Through College Alumni: Why Your Vote Matters

#PreparedToVote

Do you ever think that one vote among millions won’t make a difference? Well, history shows it does — here are some of the closest presidential races in the United States. 

With 22 million teens turning 18 before the 2020 elections,1 our alumni KIPPsters are taking to the polls and empowering the community to make their voices heard this November and beyond.

“It is important to vote so I could be the voice for the voiceless,” says KIPP LA Prep alumna, Samantha R. “With everything going on and a lot of the injustices that have occurred this year, it is important to vote for someone that cares about everyone equally.” In agreement with this is Camila C., KIPP Adelante Prep Academy alumna, who urges that it is time to “stand up for what you think is right.” 

In creating a more just world, participating in federal, state, and local elections is one way to leverage your voice to elect leaders and support policies that have both your community and the nation’s best interest.

“We need to make sure we get involved and hold politicians accountable,” states Stephanie M., KIPP LA Prep alumna. Voters, especially young voters, can directly influence issues that may affect their lives over the coming years. Indeed, young people have the power to be more influential than ever before, so much so that the collective youth vote can sway the election results. Reports say that Gen Z eligible voters are a more racially and ethnically diverse group than older generations, specifically about 1-in-5 Gen Z voters are Hispanic.“It's important to have our voices heard,” exclaims Sofia A., KIPP LA Prep alumna, “and our opinions heard as people of color.” 

Check out how some of our KIPP SoCal alumni are speaking on being #PreparedToVote and encouraging others, as Zaydee R. stresses, to “take this election seriously!”

"It is really important to help educate communities about the upcoming election,” states KIPP LA Prep alumna, Kenia R.B. “because sometimes people might not know who/[what] to vote for” and the outcomes will impact us all as a community. Opportunely, in today's digital world, our alumni are able to form a fuller picture of the candidates in a medium they're no strangers to.

Having said that, KIPP SoCal alumni, whether eligible to vote or not, want to close the race and age voting gaps in their neighborhoods by creating confident voters in many forms:

And ahead of the November 3rd presidential election, several alumni KIPPsters have a written message to share:

"Your voice is your choice to use, but it is better to be left heard rather than unheard. Allow your thoughts and opinions about voting, elections, and political views to be heard by those around you. Vote for you and for the betterment of those around you."
— Camila C., KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy Alumna
 
"I want everyone to go out and vote. I think that we can all create a change [for] the upcoming generations."
— Valeria J., KIPP LA College Preparatory School Alumna
 
"There is power in numbers, and our collective voices deserve to be heard. We all have the power to be the change we want to see. Every vote matters!"
— Stephanie M., KIPP LA College Preparatory School Alumna
 
"Your vote matters because you decide who you want running the country."
— Evangeline O., KIPP Promesa Prep Alumna
 
"I want to make sure that my community knows that everyone has the power to empower themselves. Be the change not the victim. Tell your story in a way that lifts you up and use your vote to match those experiences to create a real change."
— Aris R., KIPP LA College Preparatory School Alumna
 
"The common excuse to not vote is that there is nobody good to vote for that is running for positions. Even though opinions should be respected, one needs to take into consideration how much impact (negative or positive) a single politician can do. Look at present day America, is this what you're happy with?"
— Flor Ruiz, KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy Alumna
 
"Salgan a votar por la gente que no tiene este privilegio tan importante. Usen su voz y ayuden a su comunidad para votar. La raza unida nunca será vencida."
— Kenia Ruiz Barron, KIPP LA College Preparatory School Alumna
 
"It is important to go out and vote, it is the only way we are going to see the change we want and the only way we are going to have our voice heard. Your vote genuinely makes a difference."

— Samantha Ruiz, KIPP LA College Preparatory School Alumna

KIPP SoCal alumni are on a mission to act and also engage and mobilize their networks as the country gears up for the 2020 election. “I am excited to participate in upcoming elections because I would like to see change,” says Stephanie M. “And I know I can contribute to it. I'm also excited because this will be the first time I am old enough to vote in a Presidential Election.” Every vote matters. Make it count! Take to the polls and as Valeria J., KIPP LA Prep alumna, says — “create change.”


1 When We All Vote. (2020). Retrieved from whenweallvote.org.

Barroso, Amanda. (2020, September 23). Retrieved from www.pewresearch.org.