NYU DC StoryCorps

“I recently went to Julián Castro in Conversation with Jonathan Allen at Sixth & I. I was excited to have the opportunity to learn about Castro, a potential 2020 presidential candidate, and his life growing up in relation to his political career. I’ve had the chance to see several major national political figures speak this semester, including another possible 2020 presidential candidate, John Kerry. I’ve been noticing how politicians present themselves in front of potential voters, how they campaign on specific issues, and how they carefully field and piece together answers to questions. I hope through these different sessions I’ve begun to develop a more sophisticated way to evaluate these politicians and critique their views. During this recent event. I found Julián Castro to be very professional and prepared without being impersonal, something I greatly appreciated. However, I was disappointed in how he spoke about climate change. Surprisingly, he was asked twice about his stance on climate action, and despite advocating for action and speaking of his own previous efforts, he seemed reluctant to position himself as a leader on climate change. This left me less enthusiastic about him as a future candidate, but in all, the event was insightful. I am also hopeful that climate change will become a more central issue for candidates as the next election nears.”

– Danielle Sanger | Global Leadership Program