ROGERS PARK — Fifteen-year-old Jasmine Cevallos had her sights set on becoming a neurosurgeon, but after playing the role of Republication front-runner during a mock election at her school, she's mulling a career change.
Cevallos was one of over 100 Chicago Public School students from five schools enrolled in the new Global Citizen Initiative civics course who took part in a recent voting simulation at Loyola University.
Each election year, students are invited to Loyola's Service-Learning Center for Experimental Learning, where they're divided up into political parties, state caucuses, media, community advocates and election officials.
Throughout the day, candidates emerge in each of the three political groups — Republican, Democrat, and Green — and address mock state caucuses and trying to sway mock voters, as mock reporters hurriedly tally votes and hold press conferences.
Jon Schmidt, the coordinator for Vote 2016! and the service-learning program manager, said the day-long experience is meant to give students an interactive learning opportunity to bolster their knowledge of the electoral process — something many students currently lack, he said.
A task force studying the way states approach civil engagement found Illinois was "way behind" in civic education, Schmidt said, since the state has no civics course graduation requirement.
The task force recommended the state mandate high school students take a class on civic education, but by the time that requirement kicks in this fall, about 30-35 CPS schools already using the Global Citizens Initiative course will have a head-start.
The semester-long class is designed to sync up experimental learning activities with the various aspects of an election cycle. The day culminates in a mock presidential debate, followed by the final vote.
Cevallos said playing the Republican party candidate didn't exactly align with her personal beliefs, but she was able to better understand and appreciate some opposing points of view. She'd even reconsider her current career path.
"Honestly, for the past three years I wanted to become a neurosurgeon, but now I see the upside to this and I'd obviously consider it," she said. "Because I see people get hurt, and if there's no one there standing up for people to do the right thing, why not?"
Karen Naylor, 16, from Bogan High School, played a member of the Massachusetts state caucus and said it was fascinating to "see the whole process unfold" and to get a glimpse at what goes on beyond the TV cameras.
Marlene Lara, a 17-year-old senior at Multicultural Arts High School, said she enjoyed being able to see all the many components that make an election come together.
By November this year, she'll be 18 and able to vote, she said, and participating in the election simulation helped her realize what matters to her most.
Determining the values her caucus was looking for in a candidate helped her prepare for choosing a president come fall, she said.
"It wasn't difficult for us all to agree, but we had to look deeply into ourselves to see what we really wanted in a candidate," Lara said.
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