On November 9th, Congressional candidate Dan Canon met with South students in the auditorium to discuss his campaign for the 9th congressional district seat and his hope for students interested in law and political science. This event was put on by the Bloomington High School South Young Democrats, a chapter of Indiana High School Democrats.

Canon opened his talk by asking students about their interest in politics and what made them decide to get involved. Canon, a New Albany native, dropped out of high school his junior year. Eventually, he went back and received his G.E.D. and became the first member of his family to attend college. From there, Canon studied at a law school and now works as a civil rights lawyer, specializing in employee discrimination.

Canon advised students to be part of the solution, not the problem. He also encouraged the audience to not just observe society but to get in the driver’s seat and make the change. “In whatever career path you take, don’t just make money, make change,” Canon said.

Although Canon had never dreamed he’d be running for any sort of political position, he was persuaded by the impact that lawmakers and politicians have firsthand while working as a trial lawyer. “I saw how good people on the inside can make a difference,” Canon said.

He stresses that “it’s important to have good people at all stages or government.” Because without it, Canon says, “ the elected officials will never solve the real problems.”

Junior Sophie Allen attended the meeting and appreciated Canon’s advice. “It was good to hear about where Canon came from and how his experiences made him want to get into politics. I liked his call to action and that he encouraged us, the students, to get involved,” Allen said.

If you’re interested in learning more about Dan Canon and Liz Watson, who are both Democratic candidates running in the 9th district, they will be having a debate at Ivy Tech Community College this Wednesday, November 15th.