Junior political science major Daniel Roman was elected as the Vice Chair of Political Affairs at the Young Democrats of America College Caucus, a nationwide organization that engages young people throughout the country in the political process last month.
This new position includes Roman’s membership in YDA’s College Caucus Executive Board which he shares with five young Democrats and students from Missouri, Arizona, Minnesota, and New Jersey.
According to their website, Young Democrats of America is the largest youth-led partisan political organization in the country and has since its creation mobilized young people under the age of 36 to participate in the electoral process.
Influenced by the ideals and values of the Democratic Party, the organization continues to help develop the skills of the youth generation to serve as leaders at local and national levels, their website explains.
Since 2002, YDA has operated independently of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as a non-federal 527 political organization. The programs and campaigns are aimed at building sustainable youth movement by providing training, hands-on campaign experience and leadership opportunities, according to the YDA website.
Prior to his election, Roman attended the 2013 Biennial Convention of Young Democrats of America in San Antonio, Texas from August 7 to August 12. He joined more than 1,000 young Democrats from all 50 states in strategizing policy and sharing ideas on key issues.
This November, Roman will be flying to Seattle, Washington for the upcoming YDA Fall 2013 Conference where young Democrats will vote on policy issues, train to become better leaders, gain an understanding of the political process, and demonstrate their Democratic values.
As Vice Chair of Political Affairs at YDA, Roman said, “My goals are to get members of YDA more involved in the political process and to eventually organize all College Young Democrats by encouraging them to become more active in support of Democratic candidates.”
Although he has many goals he hopes to accomplish in the near future for YDA, Roman explained that their biggest goal right now is “to organize a trip to Washington, D.C. to talk to lawmakers about issues facing college students. It’s bold but the leadership is very energized and I can tell that there are a lot of hard workers in YDA.”
Roman explained that if he and his colleagues were able to organize a trip to our nation’s capital, his biggest concern would be student loans.
“Too many of my friends have either decided not to go to college, or to leave college because of the financial burden it places on them,” he said.
He expressed, “Education is the foundation of a stronger society and now more than ever a college degree is becoming a pre-requisite to a lot of jobs. I also would like to talk about investment in higher education.”
Constantina Meis, Chairwoman of the YDA Women’s Caucus and Roman’s advisor for his summer internship spoke very highly of Roman’s achievements and his newly elected position at the YDA College Caucus.
She said, “Dan is a great asset to the Young Democrats of America both nationally as well as in the college democrat’s caucus. I’m very excited to have someone as focused, knowledgeable, and hardworking as Dan on our team.”
This summer, Roman worked under Meis as a “Buono Fellow” for State Senator Barbara Buono’s campaign for Governor in which he was able to attend many different campaign events, reach out to the community, and conduct research for the Senator’s campaign.
Meis explained how Roman was “one of the lead ‘fellows’ who took initiative, constantly reached out to help build events, and was always there when we needed to make things happen.”
By attending the conference in San Antonio this summer, Meis explained that Roman participated in what she refers to as, “the national scene.”
She said, “Dan can be a leader not just in local community but can now set tone for college students throughout the country. He is a clear example of what we strive to do: to give access and opportunity to people regardless of where they come from to engage in the political process.”
Along with his responsibilities at the YDA, Roman is the Co-Captain of the University’s Debate Team and President of the Pre-Law Club.
Dr. Joseph Patten, Chair of the Political Science and Sociology Department said, “Dan is a natural leader who routinely places the interests of others ahead of his own. He has a tireless work ethic, is intellectually curious, and is determined to bring positive change through politics. He is an inspiration to people of all political stripes.”
Roman explained how he is working to try and get Monmouth Young Democrats to become a real club on campus so that the organization can be better involved with the University.
He said, “YDA offers so many connections and career opportunities in political science. I still keep in contact with many of the people I met this summer. Though were spread out all over the country, young Dems are making conference calls to stay in touch.”
Roman had always wanted to join YDA but after his internship opportunities with Congressman Bill Pascrell and Senator Barbara Buono, as well as his attendance to the San Antonio National Convention, he was convinced he wanted to play a bigger role in the political process.
Roman explained how he highly recommends that every young Democrat to get involved in this organization. For those interested in more information about the YDA or Dan’s position, he encourages contact through email at s0838214@monmouth.edu.
PHOTO COURTESY of Daniel Roman
