Homeschooled from kindergarten through twelfth grade, I grew up in a predominantly Christian community that also happened to be politically conservative. Although I already had an understanding of my parents' political views and backgrounds, I didn't begin seriously thinking about political issues until late in high school. Especially within the homeschool speech and debate community, parent judges and coaches tended to express and sympathize most with conservative views. However, given that a majority of our competition preparation focused on researching and debating current events, many of my peers and I found great satisfaction in thinking about political issues and questioning the political decisions of our time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay Having the freedom and space to engage in in-depth political conversations from a young age was definitely a privilege I valued taken for granted until I arrived at UC Berkeley. As I expected, most of the students and professors here had opinions very different from mine. Navigating such a different environment was not only challenging at first, but, more importantly, led me to re-examine my political beliefs and learn how to express them clearly. Even then, I discovered that political biases and ideologies are extremely difficult to overcome. Especially after Trump's shocking victory in the 2016 election, the general climate among students and faculty was one of distress and anger, and I sometimes wondered how many other students in my classes were also remaining silent out of fear of reprisals and misunderstandings. However, I found that my friends, even those with very different views, were often courteous and somewhat open-minded when political topics came up in personal conversations. Through these conversations, I began to discover that sharing my perspectives as a Berkeley student could have an impact, not only among my fellow students, but also among my friends and acquaintances outside of Berkeley. This year I have the honor of serving as chief of staff to a student senator from the UC Berkeley Student Government (the Associated Students of the University of California) and have had the opportunity to discuss and to share my views regarding the Senate resolutions on freedom of expression. . Although being a conservative student at one of the most liberal universities in the country is not without its challenges, I am grateful for the chance to grow and strengthen my beliefs in an often hostile environment, and I am excited about future growth and opportunities in the coming years.