Today I went to the 1st Annual Civic Engagement Conference, hosted by the John Glenn Civic Leadership Council (an organization I’ve been dying to join). I tried to be really proud of my ability to get out of bed bright and early on a Saturday morning to find better direction in my life. It was pretty interesting…a few kinks, since it was their first bright and early on a Saturday morning to find better direction in my life. It was pretty interesting…a few kinks, since it was their first year and all, but certainly worthwhile. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner was our keynote speaker. She talked about changing voting technologies…it was interesting, but not exactly applicable to my civic engagement. We then had a “Community Outreach� activity, where we worked in groups to develop an action plan for a policy issue. My group was trying to advocate lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 (definitely a popular one among college students). We went through a really fascinating thought process, with the help of some public affairs, public relations, and lobbyist experts. My favorite part of the day was the “Careers in Public Service� panel, where we got to speak with a group of public policy professionals. I learned about careers that I never even knew existed! There is a great deal of unseen work in the public sector that keeps this city going…it really gave me some new career ideas. My sister is in fact moving to Texas next week to do lobby work for a non-profit education group, so me learning about this was perfect timing. This is just another reason why I love living in Columbus…a capital city is the perfect place for me!