On February 26 during second period, Representative of Utah’s 1st Congressional district Blake Moore came to address the students of Highland. He was brought by RAM FAM as a part of their speaker series.
There was a 40-minute presentation followed by a 20-minute open question and answer session.
Moore focused on the topics of how to be respectful with others, especially when disagreeing, as well as staying hopeful of our nation’s politics despite what the media is projecting.
Moore shared a video created by him and another representative from California who are from different parties and have different political beliefs. His goal in showing this video was to share a personal example of where he continues to respect other political figures while having different perspectives.
Currently the world is filled with lots of noise. Everyone is trying to talk over each other as they just want their voice to be heard, desperate to find someone to listen to them. It can feel overwhelming to look online, social media, and news sources to find truths when propaganda and false news can be so prevalent.
“Don’t buy what you see, don’t believe all the rhetoric,” Moore said. “There’s a lot more productive nature to what this is.”
Although one cannot find the answer to why politicians act in certain ways or pass specific bills, Moore says it is an individual’s responsibility as an active citizen to peruse the news and search for truth and evidence to current events.
Moore also talked a lot about hope, claiming that Americans agree on more things than they disagree and that this is keeping him up at night. But he is trying to stay hopeful.
During the Q and A session, many students asked Moore about his involvement in bills that he helped pass and create as well as how he has benefited from some of the bills that he endorsed.
Although he didn’t answer all of these questions directly, Moore did not shy away from diving into the political science of what is happening and his own personal stance of why he has acted and when he decided to do so.
“I was incredibly floored at how involved, engaged and understanding [the students] are,” Moore said. “Sometimes they weren’t accurate, so I had to clarify something, which is fine, that’s my job. But I was amazed by how politically aware everybody is.”
Moore feels that he has a strong personal connection to Highland as both his parents are Highland alumni. His dad is even in the Highland Hall of Fame.
Both his parents had their own individual struggles as they faced high school, and Moore shared their stories with the students.
“Being a Ram is a special thing. It teaches you what it means to have grit and how to overcome challenges,” Moore said.
The final message of his presentation was to encourage students to keep broad interests while also making a specific plan of how to achieve their goals and start thinking about their future. And the future of Highland is important to him, as he has a son that will soon attend the school.
