During the Student Government’s speaker series What Matters To U event Tuesday, John Kasich, former governor of Ohio, spoke to students at the University of Miami about leadership and civic engagement.
Prior to his run as a Republican presidential candidate in 2016, Kasich worked as a managing director in the investment banking division of Lehman Brothers from 2001 to 2009. He also represented Ohio’s 12th district in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001.
Moderated by Judge Ellen Venzer, a Miami law school adjunct professor, and Keegan Gibson, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, the discussion centered on anecdotes from Kasich’s experience as a United States citizen looking to make a change in the world.
Speaking on the importance of getting civically involved at a local level, Kasich emphasized the significance of this generation’s impact on the U.S. Citing young thought-leaders like environmentalist Greta Thunberg and the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School—where a mass shooting killed 17—Kasich called young students in the audience to action.
“The changes—big changes—that I know young people are aware of, have to come from the bottom up. Politicians follow public sentiment, so if you care about any number of issues that affect young people, that’s something everybody should and will care about,” Kasich said.
Additionally, Kasich highlighted the importance of seeking mental health counseling as part of a student’s path to success in making change. Prior to leaving office in Ohio, Kasich signed a $2.6 billion state capital budget, which included $112 million to replace the main hospital at a behavioral health care facility.
“When we break our arm, we go over to the clinic. Never be ashamed to seek help because something is broken in your heart,” Kasich said. “Never be afraid to go and get help, because we have a crisis among all of you young students. What will happen is, you will learn again to like and love yourself.”
He went on to address his bipartisan approach to the importance of making change by understanding different beliefs through frequent discourse and most significantly—voting.
“We need you. We need your freshness, we need your idealism, we need the hopefulness that you all have. I’m telling you all of this because I’m counting on all of you to have an impact on where our country goes,” Kasich said.
David Hernandez, a junior majoring in political science, attended the event looking forward to hearing Kasich’s insight regarding experience in politics.
“His speech really had a tone of unison, and really addressed many of the political issues we’re facing today. He really emphasized the importance of making change and I was really inspired by that,” Hernandez said.
Kasich went on to reiterate the importance of people’s uniqueness.
