With less than two months remaining in my time as an undergraduate student, I have been feeling rather reflective, especially in what it means to be a conservative student at a very liberal university. I have been conservative as long as I can remember- conservative values were just part of my daily life growing up, and I feel fortunate that I carried them with me as I grew up. I was content to be quiet in high school, and became very close with students and teachers with views on an entirely opposite political pole than mine. When I was around nineteen I began to question this. Why did I know the views of all of my professors, yet they knew none of mine? Why was I anxiously walking on eggshells in my relationship with what I revealed about my political beliefs? How come my friends said I was “wasting my college experience” because I was holding true to the system of values I had grown up with? I was done; I decided to start talking. Many people walked out of my life- people on the Right and the Left, and I am thankful that they did; they made room for all of the new, truly meaningful connections that I would go on to make with people who not only respected my values, but my boundaries. I opened up on social media. Showed up to my Zoom classes with a Gadsden flag hanging on the wall behind me. I met a lot of great people, and my only regret is that I wasn’t more outspoken sooner. As I find myself on my way out of undergrad, I find myself with some thoughts that I hope will reach some students who are on the fence about speaking out.
My first morsel of reflective advice to college students: speak up. The First Amendment exists for a reason, and it applies to you as well. In a world where cancel culture is king, many students forget that they have the right to speech and expression just as much as the students on the Left do. This is often overlooked due to the standard outnumbering that conservative students face on campus; it is important to remember that the cancel-culture crybabies mostly stay in their “safe” bubble on campus, and are not indicative of the actions in the real world.
The sheer amount of garbage found on social media makes toxic waste look desirable. However, in a world where it is admittedly difficult to cut off social media entirely, especially as a university student, it has its advantages- use them. Use social media to network with other conservative students. You can look for them directly, or you can start posting more conservative content and hope that some will reach out to you, and vice versa. Comment on stories and posts that resonate with you- it’s a great way to reach out, and an added bonus is it’s a way to weaponize Big Tech platforms in your favor.`
It is liberating to be surrounded by like-minded people. It can be a hard path to find, but once you’re on it, the rewards are everywhere. Wear the “Women for Trump” hat you keep in your closet. Put that American flag sticker on your laptop. Think of the reasons you are hesitant, and then think of the other side- do they hesitate, or even think twice?