“It’s not like arguing about pineapples on pizza,” senior Kayla Zisman said when reflecting on how to have respectful political conversations with her classmates. This is an epiphany she took away from her summer internship as our country heads into the next presidential election.
Despite not knowing much about politics in the beginning, that did not stop Kayla from diving headfirst into her work with State Representative Nabeela Syed. As part of her internship, Kayla was free to choose a legislative project - something she wanted to see changed in the State of Illinois. Her choice? Making American Sign Language (ASL) a required subject in Illinois public schools for one year.
"It was interesting to see what my priorities were and what I wanted to change," she said. The inspiration for this project came from her experience growing up with a peer who was deaf in one ear. "He chose not to wear a hearing aid in high school, and I feel like if ASL was in schools, it could have led him in a different direction," Kayla explained that implementing ASL would benefit not only the deaf and hard-of-hearing community but also students who speak different languages, providing an inclusive way to communicate across language barriers.
"When I worked on my legislative project, I appreciated that I was allowed and trusted to do something on my own. I do crave that independence as a person - I think we all do," she reflected. "The fact that someone with that big of a role in society gave me, a teenager, that independence was really important to me. It allowed me to find my own way.”
So what does this have to do with pineapples on pizza? Politics isn’t as simple as a pizza order. It’s personal. For her, navigating real-world issues requires a deeper understanding of each person’s unique perspective. She admired Nabeela’s approach to these conversations, especially her leadership style.
“I aspire to have Nabeela’s leadership abilities - she had the ability to take control of a room with kindness. She always gave
other people the opportunity to talk,” Kayla shared. “I appreciate that someone who is a leader is also acting like a leader, while also having little funny moments. I want to learn how to balance that type of lifestyle like she does.”
Though Kayla may not fully realize it yet, she already embodies many of the qualities she admired in Nabeela. Her ability to navigate complex conversations with respect and empathy was evident when she shared her advice on having respectful political discussions with her peers.
“There can be a lot of disagreements. People have strong opinions with their own reasonings or from how they were raised. No one is obligated to change their opinion because of someone else’s words. Always listen. You don’t have to take it to heart - but take into consideration what they are saying, it’s okay if you don’t agree. You should not block yourself from learning a new perspective based on bias, because you won’t grow from that.”