Back to School

Hello, I hope that your weekend is going well this Presidents Day. I celebrate this holiday every year by putting on a colonial-era George Washington wig.

I was invited to speak at my alma mater, Brown University, last week. It was my first time on campus since I ran for President.

It was a lot of fun. I’ve spoken at over a dozen universities these past several years, but at Brown there was a sense of camaraderie and pride. The students filled the auditorium and dozens were turned away. The energy was tremendous and heartwarming.

I spoke about my college years, when I was a fairly unremarkable undergraduate. I had very little figured out, though I did mention a couple of courses that impacted my thinking like Labor Economics and Ethics and Public Policy. I traced my steps from Providence all the way to the presidential campaign and making the case for democracy reform today. I tried to make my journey relatable and achievable.

I also talked about my friend Dean Phillips – another Brown alum – and his primary campaign in 2024, which I was proud to support. History has proven Dean to be correct. I tried to end on an invigorating note about how the future will be theirs to shape.

Afterwards, I met and took pictures with dozens of students. One young woman asked me, “Was it all worth it?”

I answered without hesitation, “Of course! I’d do it all over again.”

Another student said to me, “Thank you for being here. My friends and I followed your campaign every day when I was in 8th grade.” It has been 5 years since 2020, and that 8th grader is now a college freshman. Several other students told me that they volunteered for my presidential campaign and showed me pictures to prove it. There were a lot of students who wanted me to run again. Several thanked me for helping them feel better about the current moment.

Meeting with the students was uplifting. They were positive and idealistic and looking for a way to make a difference. I have no doubt that they will. They also reminded me of how much I have to be grateful for. Many of them understood the vision I was campaigning on.

We may not get there as quickly as I hoped five years ago, but there are a lot of dedicated and passionate people who want to see that vision come to pass. The college freshmen of today will be out in the world working before we know it. We have a lot of work to do, but the next generation is on its way.

To see what we are doing with Forward in your area, click here. For my interview of Jo Ling Kent of CBS News about DeepSeek and AI on the podcast this week, click here. Have a great long weekend.