Hello My Name is Madame President!

Eighteen-year-old Alexandra Desaulniers first got the idea that she would run for president almost a decade ago.  In a letter to our President, Marie Wilson, Alexandra expressed her intention to seek a seat in the oval office, saying,

"I went on a tour of the White House and saw paintings of all the Presidents, and I learned that there has never been a woman President.   I think that I would make a great President." 

Now that a viable female candidate has entered the 2008 presidential race, girls like Alexandra are increasingly announcing their goal of of running for the highest office in the land. 

The White House Project sought to capture this moment by seeking out young women whose goal is to become commander in chief.  We asked girls and women to tell us about their presidential aspirations in a short essay.  

 

The five women below had outstanding things to say, and as a result we'll be training them to run for office in New York City at Go Run New York 2007.

 

		"I am not a politician, I don't play games, and I am not interested in empty words and meaningless promises."   Meet Madame President Silverman Kara is 23 and lives in New York City.  She will run for President in 2036.
		"My parents are refugees from Vietnam; they arrived in the United States right after the Fall of Saigon.  Had the United States not been involved in Vietnam and fighting there, I might I been born somewhere else."   Meet Madame President Tien Nguyen Do Lynna is 31 years old and lives in Fremont, California. The first year she can run for president is 2012, but since she is finishing a Ph.D. in Psychology, she is aiming for 2020.
		"My first year at Georgetown I found that being a member of ROTC taught me a lot about myself as well. I was petrified at the idea of being an officer, a leader in the world’s strongest Army. "   Meet Madame President Shepard Morgan is 19 and an ROTC cadet at Georgetown University.  She is from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Morgan plans to run for President in 2040.
		"I’ve made the rookie mistakes someone would expect a young woman of color with no base, no institution and no well-connected man standing in front of her or behind her to make.  But I run.  And I run in spite of myself.  I derive no joy from the campaign... But the work ignites me.  The plight of the people provokes me.  The small victories that I and like-minded advocates achieve revive me."   Meet Madame President Andrews Tara is 33 and from Baltimore, Maryland.  She is running for President in 2020 or 2024.
		"I had briefly considered other occupations, including firefighter, professional football player, and even race car driver, but was tantalized by the possibility of leading others, meeting foreign dignitaries, and, I have to confess, living in a house that has its own bowling alley."   Meet Madame President Zimmerman Chelsea is an 18 year old college student in New York City. She will run for President in 2024.