User:Judyk

It was believed by my mother and some teachers that I was a gifted student. I remember that my proudest moment in school was when I earned the honor of Female Student of the Quarter and was also #1 out of 800 studnets the Autumn of my freshman year at Morton East High School in Cicero, Illinois. This early gift, however, was squandered when in February 1994 I was placed under the care of the state Department of Children and Family Services. This experience was the first exercise in unfairness and being held back that I recieved. Part of this unfairness was when I was informed that "You can't be adopted because you are a teenager." This is devastaitng for a young person who only craves love and understanding. I fell behind and was kept there in high school. For example, I was placed in Remedial history courses wnen even the teacher thought that I should have been in Honors or Advanced Placement courses. However, if I was given the chance the state would lose special education funding. The only comment I got to my protestations was, "You can't handle that." To which I said, "Give me a chance and I will show you that I can." I never got the cahnce and suffered mightily because I was held back in school. Today, I am fighting my way through college. I am a junior political science major at DePaul Univeristy in Chicago. However as soon as I reach the GPA requirements I am going to change majors and get a degree in Secondary Education so I can teach high school civics. I am planning to enter law school and earn a Masters degree in Public Administration after graduation. My top choices are the Univesity of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of South Carolina and Wake Forest University. I have been criticized lacking direction and being unsure. I am very ambitious: wanting to go into the Air Force Reserve and be a lawyer. The only thing I am unsure about at this time is weather I will ever run for office, though I have thought about it. Though not sure of these things I know I am a conservative. My desires are to serve my country and share my ideals with people. I am a former Catholic who was confirmed on Pentacost Sunday 2001. I am converting, first because of conflicts I have with the fundamental beliefs of the church and, second their handling of the sex abuse scandal. After much reserach I decided to convert and be a Southern Baptist. I attend Sunday Worship Service at Immanuel Baptist Church in Chicago.

Struggling Student

I have had an uphill battle since I started college because I was not ready for the challenge. I was ill prepared and had no one who was willing to help me get a leg up. I transferred five times and changed degree intentions three times.

I have settled on finishing my BA in Political Science at DePaul University. I have had an uphill battle since starting here but I will succeed despite having to appeal a dismissal. I plan to graduate in 2007. I am researching the law schol options mentioned earlier and will begin the application process in 2006.

Military Ambitions

My first exposure to the military was whn I spoke to a Marine recruiter in high school. I thought I wanted to be a marine, but after researching it more thoroughly I discovered that this would be difficult at best and impossible at worst. I also spoke with Navy recruiters and actually took a physical, which I failed because of an eye condition. Source:United States Naval Academy I also applied for the Naval Academy twice and earned a candidacy both times. I however did not make it to the next stage because my academics were not strong enough. During this time I was also asking questions about the Army, though not seriously thinking of joining. Finally, after researching the Air Force for two years I spoke with a recruiter with serious intent to join. while I was in the application process for enlistment in to Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. I joined Researve Officer Training Corps Detachment 195 as a Cadet. This step was taken in furtherance of the goal. After initial examination of my medical records, however, I was denied the first time because of being on psychotropic drugs in the past. I also thought that the eye condition was a reaction to stress and having not slept the night before the first exam. I was granted another chance when the Commandant of Cadets at the ROTC unit wrote a reccommendation. The record was also cleared of any mention of the prior medical treatment. However, when I took the second exam the eye condition was confirmed and I was denied enlistment. If I had been allowed to enlist I would have wanted to be a personnel specialist. I finished up the year as a cadet and then began life as a civilian. While I was a cadet I held three corps positions: publications representative, supply representative, and military ball representative. I also joined Arnold Air Society and Mach 4, two student organizations. In Arnold Air Society I attained the rank of Cadet First Lieutenant and was the Public Affairs Officer for the Scobee Squadron. As a civilian I plan to start a local chapter of Silver Wings. I joined several military related organizations: Air Force Association, Association of Air Force Missileers, and the Reserve Officer Association. My membership in the Reserve Officer Association expired because I am no longer a cadet. I was a special student in the ROTC unit through Spring 2003 and still do a great deal for the Air Force. I assist the ROTC unit during orientation and the recruiters during the air show. As a reward for this I earned a Certificate of Appreciation from Air Force Recruiting Service. I have taken care of the eye condition and might qualify to enter the Air Force.

Political Player

My first experience came as an intern in the Chicago office of U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin. In this capacity I sorted mail, worked with constituent case files, and assisted the staff. I worked closely with the Press secretary, chiefly organizing press clips, and the veterans affairs staffer.

Next step was to work for a campaign. I volunteered for Paul Vallas for Governor in 2000. I maintained the fundraising database. I did not volunteer at all in 2002, however, I volunterred for two campaigns in 2004. First, I volunteerd for John Edwards for President and Dan Hynes for U.S. Senate. I traveled to Davenport, IA and Milwaukee, WI to volunteer for Edwards. I volunteered for John Kerry for a short time but stopped because I did not believe in Mr. Kerry or the Democrat platform.

Despite volunteering for all these Democrats in the past I am a conservative. My plan in 2008 is to be attending school in South Carolina and volunteering for the reelection campaign of U.S. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham. I would also consider working for State Senator Dan Rutherofrd when he runs for reelection in 2008 or in 2006 if he decided to run for Secretary of State.

Currently I am volunteering for the Cook County Republican Party as well as in the 43rd/32nd Ward Republican Office.

I have contributed to the National Republican Congressional Committee, and John Edwards for President.

I am a member of the DePaul College Republicans. I am a moderate conservative with a strong independent streak. This leads me to believe that every life is sacred, the family is the foundation of society, homeland and national security are paramount, and that common sense gun control measures can be taken with out infringing on the rights of law abiding citizens. More My personal and political role model is Sen. Lindsey Graham.

What I believe

* Every life is sacred. Abortion on demand should be made illegal. I allow for three exceptions: rape, incest, life.helth of the mother. To facilitate the pro-life position adoption programms should be strgthened. * Homeland and national security are paramount concerns. Enforcing our immigration laws, building a strong military, and preservig and protecting our civil rights provides the base for a strong and secure nation. * Economic prosperity is central to an ownership society. In furuerance of this we need to to have fair trade that incorporates human rights, environmental standards and minimum wage requirements so our companies can compete if they invest in America. Fair competition would promote companies to stay here and hire American workers. * Common sense measures like background checks and trigger locks can preserve the rights of citizen to own firearms, protect the gun manufacturers from lawsuits, and safeguard our children from gun-related accidents. * The family is the foundation of a strong society, therefore marriage needs to be protected.