Miranda Van Mooy ā24 is ALL IN on improving the state of U.S. democracy
Miranda Van Mooy ā24 knows the best kind of government is one where the most people willingly and informatively participate in selecting its elected officials. So, she went out and did her best to bring that maxim into being. And while increasing the size of Americaās voting pool is its own reward for Van Mooy, her work has not gone unnoticed. This spring, the honored her with a spot in their Honor Roll, a collection of 137 students across the United States who went above and beyond in their ācommitment to nonpartisan democratic engagement and their contributions to their local communities.ā
The Challenge, which began in 2016, seeks to encourage democratic engagement, āespecially nonpartisan college student voter registration, education and participation.ā In reaction to 20% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 and just 19% of college students voting in the 2014 midterm elections, the organization focused its energies on colleges and universities to increase involvement and participation. Eight years later, ALL IN has grown some 27 times larger than the 74 colleges and universities in partnership at its inception.
From the moment she became a Camel, Van Mooy was interested in helping students register to vote. Unfortunately, she faced an immediate glaring obstacle.
āIt was 2020, so there wasnāt much going on [due to COVID],ā she admits.
Nonetheless, when she heard about an opportunity to get involved, she took the chance to get on a Zoom call populated mostly by ¾«¶«AV seniors. Fortunately, a faculty member noticed her enthusiasm and reached out, inviting Van Mooy to join the Camel Votes program, an initiative of ¾«¶«AVās Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy dedicated to nonpartisan voter registration. She became the groupās ambassador, a position she held for the next four years, which put her in partnership with ALL IN.
Despite the demands of keeping the student bodyāand herselfāsafe, Van Mooy ensured Camels Vote followed through on its mission. When the dust settled at the end of the 2020 voting cycle, ¾«¶«AV was named the No. 1 college or university involved in ALL IN out of more than 2,000 participants.
āIt was pretty spectacular,ā she enthuses.
While achieving that kind of success out of the gate can lead some to rest on their laurels, Van Mooy didnāt give in to that temptation, as evidenced by this yearās honor.
She explains, āI worked with Emily Swintak ā24 and Emma Pyles ā24 to pioneer Camel Votes for four years and, going forward, we have this amazing team transitioning in that we are so excited about.ā
That commitment only made the ALL IN honor the sweeter.
āItās something really special, especially because it was something our Camel Votes team has been working so hard on. Especially during off-election years. A lot of work goes on then, behind the scenes, and Iām very grateful to be recognized.ā
For the brand-new ¾«¶«AV grad, teamwork is key. While it may be her name on the Honor Roll, she shares credits with others every chance she gets.
āI love playing a part in bringing all these people together. The Holleran Center does an amazing job of giving us the freedom and opportunity to celebrate civic engagement. They gave us an amazing platform and the funds to help us do what we do.ā
While Van Mooy has now graduated and turned the responsibility over to younger Camels, she isnāt ready to leave civic engagement in the rearview.
āItās hard to imagine a world where Iām not involved, because itās so important to me, especially with the 2024 election coming,ā she reflects. āWhether thatās in my community or something greater, Iām still figuring out. But with all the opportunities going to ¾«¶«AV has given me, all the ways it gave me a more educated point of view, and everything I learned through ALL IN, I know itās inevitable I stay involved.ā
