Can you change the world please? 17 year old ’underdog’ finds strength in running for office.

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Merrick Modun, who recently ran in the Vermont Primary for State Representative. He’s also an activist who believes in the power of youth voices and emphasizes addressing issues in his community to make the world better for as many people as possible. Growing up gay catalyzed Merrick’s desire to create systematic change in his community. It may surprise you to learn Merrick, at the time of recording, is just 17 years old.

Merrick has made it his mission to positively impact the world around him. He was inspired through his own internship with a local representative to run for the position. This experience revealed disparities he is keen to amend by lifting up historically under-represented voices.

Climate change is currently Merrick’s most passionate pursuit. Experiencing climate change-related events with increasing frequency is something that not only needs to be of concern, but it needs to be faced. He emphasizes that if we don’t do something about climate change today, we’ll be feeling the effects of this lack of action soon.

So how did Merrick end up on this path of politics and advocacy? It all started when he met with a teacher advisor at his school to chat about school board changes, and the advisor noted a representative in Montpelier had planned to retire. This was the moment he decided to run in the primary—even if his conscious mind didn’t know it yet.

The hardest part Merck found in running his campaign was navigating systems, such as campaign finance. Going door to door, on the other hand, wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be. Although he didn’t win, he’s hopeful. He received over 600 votes, which is a great start for his following run, or for the next young person who decides to run for the state legislature.