Rep. Reflects on Taking Office at 23 Years Old (VIDEO)
Like many college graduates, 23-year-old Marilinda Garcia wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do with her life upon graduation. But after a friend suggested she follow her newly-found political interests and run for office, Garcia was on the fast track to a promising career in public service. She was first elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2006, at 23 years of age, becoming one of the youngest legislators in that office. She won re-election on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012. Watch Garcia talk about her experience, plus how her musical background helped prepare her for a career in politics:
WATCH: CNN’s David Gergen ‘Impressed’ With Young Generation
As a classically trained orchestral harpist who earned a BA from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Music from New England Conservatory of Music, Garcia found her initial legislative experience to be “daunting.” But she sound discovered that the skills were transferable, noting that her performance background makes her a more comfortable and effective public speaker.
Seven years later, Garcia is preparing for her fourth term. So what does she find so rewarding about her position?
“One of the things that’s wonderful about legislative bodies in this country, particularly in my state, is that everyone comes from such different backgrounds in terms of what their life experience is,” Garcia told genConnect. “You have a lot of people bringing very different points of views and skills to the table … and then applying those skills and experiences to create good public policy.”
Related: ‘It’s a Big Moment for Voter Registration,’ Says Rock the Vote’s Heather Smith
Click play below to learn about Garcia’s hopes for re-election and her involvement in health care reform:
“The reason I would like to be re-elected to my fourth term is really to finish some of the good work that I hopefully got started this past year with some of my colleagues,” Garcia said. “Particularly I’ve been working in health care regulatory reform, mostly to help develop the specialty sector in health care. We have a bit of an antiquated system, it’s a bit monopolistic and it’s not geared toward free enterprise so we’ve been trying to deregulate that in a smart way.”
Related: Why Health Care Needs a Redesign
- For more daily expert updates, follow genConnect on Twitterand Facebook.
- To stay on top of the latest contributions from experts: Sign Up for genConnect.
Category: Career, Career Development, Videos
