Aron Johnson is President of the North Carolina Association of Teen Democrats

Seven-years-ago my hometown suffered through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Families lost jobs and peace of mind, and my family was no different.

My mother had worked 40 hours a week at the local Kehin plant. She lost that job and we struggled, wondering if we’d ever get back on our feet.

I remember sitting across the table from her, watching her fill out job applications, and listening as she called to follow-up, hearing on the other line, “we’ll get back to you.”

It was a stressful time worrying about mom, if she’d ever find work again. I looked for ways to help, picking up more of the household chores, and looking after my younger siblings. I even started filling out job applications of my own to provide more income.

Eventually she went back to school at Edgecombe Community College and received the training she needed to re-enter the workforce with new skills and a new confidence. She got a job at the QVC plant where she still works today.

It was a personal turning point, and also a political one, as we watched Senators Clinton and Obama campaign across the country on policies that were vital to helping families like mine get back on their feet.

My family decided to support Barack Obama, and I got engaged, volunteering for campaigns and being vocal in school. In 2014 I interned for Senator Kay Hagan’s campaign and cast a vote for the first time.

And this past summer I was elected President of the North Carolina Association of Teen Democrats. I got involved with the Teen Democrats because I’m frustrated that our elected representatives don’t care about my generation. I’m frustrated with cuts to public education and our university system and a “Carolina Comeback” that neglects my rural hometown.

I want the Teen Democrats to speak out on these issues and to advocate for a Pocket Book Agenda including investing in higher education, expanding Medicaid, and raising the minimum wage.

Expanding Medicaid will help rural counties and provide security for thousands of North Carolinians struggling day to day like my family did. And to make sure my generation has the same opportunities as yours had, we must help students pay for college and make community college and the first year at a public university free in North Carolina.   

But even then, not every teenager will end up in college, and that’s why we must give the working class a raise. Every day thousands of young people go to work at jobs in the service industry where they barely earn enough money to keep a roof over their head and groceries in the fridge, let alone save for their futures.

If we want the young people of this state to be the future of this state, we have to give them a fighting chance. And that’s what the Teen Democrats will fight for while I’m president.