A younger generation steps in

It is not everyday I talk to someone who may be the next Commissioner Dan Saltzman, but better.’ One of the benefits of working as a journalist is you have an excuse to interview people who otherwise would not answer your questions. I recently had an opportunity to talk to Rudy Soto, the 24-year-old Portland State senior who is running for City Commissioner.

‘Energy, diversity of thought and concern for the common person in terms of my background,’ Soto said, in regard to what he will contribute to Portland if he were elected commissioner.
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And it is true. Soto is an unconventional student who had a rough upbringing but was able to overcome them and see the bigger picture.

‘Who I am is someone deeply disturbed by the poverty and oppression,’ Soto said. ‘I want to maintain effective policies but bring new ideas of how to put people to work. Tap into new ideas that are often unexplored.’

Because he is so young, people often speculate that he may be inadequate to run for office and represent people far more educated than him. But Rudy Soto contributes something that the older generation can’t.

‘Older people are always encouraging young people to be involved,’ Soto said. ‘Something I’ve done is sought out internships and volunteer opportunities to get a sense of who you are. Connections are important-it is who you know and not what you know.’

Soto brings new ideas of how to put people to work. His background is not of a wealthy family with generations of family members who give you a free pass to become the next president, but rather of a hardworking, poverty-stricken family that the majority of citizens can relate to.

Not everyone earns $250,000 salaries, and those that do don’t have the same concerns as people just trying to find a bed to sleep in at night. It is encouraging to know that someone like Soto-who was once incarcerated in juvenile prison-can pull themselves up and still have the willpower to succeed and the desire to help people.

We hear about young people being successful everywhere, and oftentimes we wonder how they do it, because we want to also.

Take for example Xiao-Yue Han, now a junior at New York University studying biochemistry and math, who during high school and early college worked as a research assistant in a cardiac fluid and imaging lab and in radiation oncology. He too did not get that job because of connections but rather by volunteering a lot.

‘I must have volunteered over 600 to 700 hours at various hospitals before I really understood that medicine was something that I wanted to do,’ . This was the difference between my 3.0 GPA freshman year and my 4.0 sophomore year of high school,’ Xiao-Yue said. ‘The motivation I’d developed as a volunteer working with amazing physicians, nurses, and staff that simply said, ‘Hey kid, come here and take a look at this.’

The same drive Soto and Xiao-Yue share is what makes them a perfect example of someone who can really understand public needs. They listened to the encouraging words of the older generation to get involved. They worked and earned their accomplishments. There are many young people in the U.S. doing the same things, and feeling inspired because of politicians such as President Obama who reach out to them, making them feel like one person can make a difference.

If Soto believes youth involvement in government and civic angagement are really important and they are the youth that is involved in making those important changes, then they are probably right. If they can do it, there is no reason why you can’t.
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