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POTUS 2040: A Teenager Talks About Her Future

Sabrina Morales
Basim Blunt
/
WYSO
Sabrina Morales

Today on Dayton Youth Radio, we have a story from teenager Sabrina Morales, who has some ambitious plans for her future after high school.

My story is about how I’m going to be president of the United States of America. I have never been more serious about anything in my whole life.

When I first got the idea to become president, it was kind of a joke. I was in the sixth grade, and my friend Alex said he could get straight A’s in history class, and I was like “Oh, yeah, and I can be president!” And we all laughed.

That was back in the day, and I hadn’t a clue of what I wanted to be, but when I said the words “I can be president,” something just clicked. I couldn’t stop thinking about the idea of me running America.

I’ve had a relatively good life, even though my parents split up when I was little. I’ve decided to do well in school and never be afraid to dream big. I carry the constitution in my purse everywhere I go.

I live in old north Dayton.  It’s a neighborhood that’s diverse with older Catholic families and a lot of Muslim families as well. They have block parties together. But there are also a lot of homeless people in my neighborhood.  I remember coming out of church one day, and there was this homeless man who needed money to get on the bus. I felt sorry for him and I gave him my last two dollars.

When I was younger me and my mom and my two older brothers lived in a women’s shelter. I know firsthand hand what it’s like to wonder where your food is coming from and decide which bill you’re going to pay, but through hard work we now have our own house.

Things like seeing homeless people on every corner of my neighborhood, watching the news and every night hearing about people overdosing on heroin, always reading about the people of color who are targeted by the system, and just seeing all the ways our country is dividing itself, has brought me to the decision of being president.

I’ve had some negative experiences with our local police. My house was broken into and we were robbed of all of our electronics and jewelry. My mom called the police, and when they arrived, it seemed like they didn’t care.  It was just another day on the job for them, but our family was traumatized.

Last summer I got an internship with the City of Dayton’s Human Relations Council. Maybe it would improve the way I felt about the police, but in the end, I just felt worse. We went to impact meetings to learn more about community policing, and they showed a video of a man in Cincinnati. He was handcuffed on the ground, and when a second officer arrived, he kicked the man in his face. The community wanted answers.

My internship with the city taught me that we need better policing, and when I’m president, I would help communities build better relationship with their local police

How am I going to get to President of the United States of America?  With a lot of luck. Right after high school at DECA, I plan to enter college and go into the military. After the military, I know I have to get my feet wet in the political world. So,I’m going to be governor of Ohio, because you can never really Ohio. My mom's been trying for 20 years, but forget it.

I’m not going to run as Democrat or a Republican, but I’m going to run as an Independent, because I know both parties well enough to agree with George Washington when he said that the two party system was going to destroy our democracy.

I may be only sixteen now, and I’ve got a lot of life to live, but you’ll see me in 2040, ready to be your leader. So don’t forget: Sabrina Morales for president, here to bring our country to glory, 2040. 

Sabrina Morales is a student at the Dayton Early College Academy. To learn more about DECA, visit the school's website: http://daytonearlycollege.org/  Special thanks to Anne Rasmussen, Director of Community Involvement at DECA.

Dayton Youth Radio is supported by the Virginia W. Kettering Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.

 

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