In August of 2024, I was honored to serve as a young At-Large Delegate for Wisconsin at the Democratic National Convention. This 4 day convention took place in the beautiful city of Chicago.

You may be thinking, how on earth did that happen? Well, it’s a fun story. A few months before the DNC, I was attending college in Green Bay, and our College Democrats student organization worked with a field organizer named Sam. He had texted me one day and told me to fill out this paperwork for a chance to go to Chicago. I wasn't sure if I would fill out the paperwork, but I did it anyway.

Fast forward a couple of months, and I forgot about the paperwork I had filled out. On Jun 8, 2024, I received an email that read “Congratulations, you are an At-Large DNC Delegate!”

Make it stand out

The email that changed my life.

I immediately text my mom and ask, “What’s a delegate?” and she replies, “Someone who represents something.” From this email on, my world would turn upside down, and I would be entering a new era in my political life.

The next few months pass, and I start receiving requests for interviews from the press by the Wisconsin Democratic Party. This was a new thing for me, being interviewed, especially in the political world.

I honestly didn’t realize how much this would change my world. The biggest shock for everyone was when, on July 21, 2024. This was a moment I never saw coming, and I vividly remember where I was when I heard the news. My mom and I were out shopping for flowers.

Not even 2 days later, Kamala Harris was in West Allis, Wisconsin. She visited Wisconsin first after announcing her run for President. I couldn’t miss this opportunity, because it was too big to miss. I felt so amazing, because I was standing in the same room as Kamala. This was the next step in the Harris-Walz campaign.

Weeks pass, and it’s August 19th, and mom and I are headed to the DNC. This was an exciting moment for me, and I was feeling very nervous.

We took the Amtrak down, because parking was EXPENSIVE! We got there a little late and sadly missed Tim Walz and Chuck Schumer's speech. We thankfully still got to hear from Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland. I also got to snap a picture with the AMAZING Governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers. Every convention day, they would raffle off guest passes for the delegates' guests, and my mom got a chance to attend the event at the United Center that night.

Breakfast concludes, and I head over to the McCormick Place with another young Wisconsin delegate, Landiran. We went to check out some of the caucus meetings and see the trade show hall. Dempalooza, as they called it, offered numerous networking opportunities. We got some signage about Project 2025 and Fascism. An international reporter also approached me, and he asked if I believed the sign was true, which I was holding. I said, 100% I believe it. I don’t think that this will benefit us, and it will destroy our country.

Later in the day, we headed to the United Center via shuttles. My friend, Landiran, and I were excited for night 1 of the DNC.

We were so excited and couldn’t wait to get inside the United Center. Let me tell you one thing, the lines and shuttles were awful! The long wait made it worth it, though, because Landiran and I were rows away from the stage. Before we know it, the program starts for the night, and Kamala Harris takes the stage. Total surprise but so amazing to see her!

Kamala Harris walking out on night 1 of DNC!

We heard from many others, including AOC, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Raphael Warnock, Dr. Jill Biden, and President Joe Biden.

Day 2 & 3

The convention is in full swing, with interviews being conducted and friendships being formed. We heard from our Secretary of State, Sarah Godlewski; Congresswoman Gwen Moore; the Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear; and, lastly, Senator Michael Bennet, as well as the Mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson. The conventions on both nights were phenomenal, and great speakers were brought in. Our very own Milwaukee Mayor, Cavalier Johnson, was given a spot. We heard from numerous individuals, but the most notable was Barack Obama.

The best part of night 3 was when Tim Walz walked out on stage. Seeing our candidate for VP for the Democratic ticket was exceptional.

Final Day of DNC

We are on the final day of the Democratic National Convention. The fun times have come to an end. The amount of excitement I have had over the last 4 days will be unforgettable. The last day we heard from Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin’s very own state Senator, Congressman Jamie Raskin, Senator Raphael Warnock, and Congressman Ro Khanna. The program at the United Center was good, and I took a selfie with the youngest democratic party chair, Anderson Clayton. She is 25 and chair of the North Carolina Democrats. We, of course, heard Kamala Harris speak one last time. She was proud to accept our nomination for President of the United States.