Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about community, how it’s built in this district, and how we can come together to nurture that in the future. And then it occurred to me: The one thing that has touched nearly everyone here in TX-33 and has fundamentally shaped how we show up for one another is public education.

I remember my school days like they were yesterday. I went to a very diverse public school in the district, and part of my education included all of the interactions I had with people of various backgrounds.

The more time I spent hanging out with my friends in between classes and collaborating with kids who were different from myself, the more I began to understand that we are so much more than just our labels or group identities.

That gave me a grounding and wholesome sense of my community – and it was experiencing that camaraderie and exchange of differences for the first time that inspired me to bring more people together.

And thus, my political career was born in the halls of Hillcrest High School, where I ran for class president my senior year. It seems like such a small thing now, but back then, it was a big deal – even the Dallas Morning News wrote about it!

I ran head-to-head with some of my closest friends and campaigned with just some hand-drawn signs and a couple bags of Dum-Dum lollipops. We gave speeches and flagged down potential voters to make our case, all while juggling homework and exams. In the end, I came out on top as class president, and the work I put in was crucial to shaping the leader I am today.

Having those opportunities – getting an education, becoming class president, and earning a scholarship playing football – are all because I went to Dallas’ public schools. And for that, I have my mom to thank.

As a single parent and a teacher in the area herself, my mom put me through public school. She worked hard to give kids the education they deserved. And in a lot of ways, my eagerness to succeed in school and make the most of public education was because of the values she instilled in me.

Education truly shapes the adults we grow into and cultivates the values of belonging, compassion, and hard work. I see many of those same values in the community we have today, which is why Dallas’ public schools mean so much to me.

If this little love letter to the public schools of TX-33 touched you today, I invite you to take a moment to thank the educators you know in your life. The work they do is truly impactful in shaping this community.

Thanks for taking the time to read along with me today.

Colin

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If you want to take your support for public education a step further, choose to support a candidate who’ll fight in Congress to protect it and improve it. Every donation counts as I fight to win in TX-33 and deliver real leadership to the community and public schools that raised me into the man I am today.

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