What Presenting about 2000s Changemakers Showed Me

 Ariana Lemus 

When me and my group first spoke about our Changemakers topic, I at first dreaded choosing a person to present, because I thought back to my projects in high school and assumed it would be another soulless, biography I would have to create with just facts and sequence of things the individual accomplished. But after doing my research on Dr. Fauci I was pleasantly surprised to learn from both my presentation and others that my presentation was not just about the person in general, but also about the influence, ideas, public responsibility, they had on society, and how their actions affected millions of people over time.

What I also enjoyed about our presentation was that, unlike my projects in school, we weren’t forced to pick an individual from the past, or someone directly involved in politics. Like for example, in my group, our changemakers of choice were Steve Jobs, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Edward Snowden, and George W. Bush. Now even though these are all very different individuals who were involved in very different things, I enjoyed that our choices were so diverse because it incorporated individuality and it proved that descisons are not just shaped by presidents or people who invented things in the past, but they can also be scientists, innovators, and First Ladies!

While listening to my peers present, one of my favorite parts was how they put they used real life connections to make their Changemaker sound more real and relatable by connecting the changes they made with how we know live with them in real life. For example, when presenting about Steve Jobs, my peer did not just paint him as the creator of famous technology, but as someone who thanks to that invention gave us a helpful and entertain little device that we hold in our hand everyday, making it clear that his technology affected way more than just business.

Another presentation I enjoyed from my group members was the one on Edward Snowden because it clearly showed how one person can have a major impact on society. I feel that my partner did a great job explaining the complicated issues surrounding Snowden and didn’t present the situation as simply right or wrong. Instead, it showed how his actions started important conversations about privacy, government surveillance, national security, and the power governments have over information. The presentation helped me understand how Snowden’s actions influenced the way people think about personal data and digital privacy today. It also highlighted how modern democracy now includes concerns about digital rights, which made the topic feel very relevant to our lives today. Overall, the presentation did a great job showing how one individual’s actions can shape important discussions in society.

The presentation on George W. Bush stood out to me in a different way because it showed how leadership can shape a country during a time of crisis. I enjoyed our my group member clearly explained the events surrounding 9/11 and how his decisions during his presidency, such as the Patriot Act and new national security policies, had a lasting impact on laws, foreign policy, education, and the daily lives of Americans. Even though people may have different opinions about Bush and the choices he made, that actually made the presentation more meaningful. It demonstrated that a changemaker does not have to be universally praised to influence society in a major way.

An additional thing I liked about this project was that it was not just about explaining what each person did, but it also invited us to reflect about how our changemakers’ actions affected laws, government policies, the economy, and everyday life in the United States. And as someone who had to do that with my own outlook of Dr. Fauci, I feel because of that, the assignment felt more meaningful than just a typical presentation. Instead of only memorizing information to speak to our peers, we had to think about the results of the individuals’ actions and how those changes still affect us today.

I also appreciated the part where we had to give suggestions for local, state, national, and international governments. That made the project feel more interactive because we were not only thinking about the past changs that occurred but also about the future changes that we could do to continue to improve society. During the presentations, there were ideas about education, digital privacy, public health, innovation, and civic responsibility. These are all important issues today, which made the project feel relevant and connected to what is happening in the world now.

Another thing I thought was good was how the project connected these ideas locally in real world places like our college, Miami Dade College and the iCED department. I feel that  made it not only feel more personal for us as students, but it encouraged us to think about how colleges can help students understand democracy and real-world issues using our Changemakers’ ideas. Some presentations mentioned things like civic engagement, STEM education, and discussions about responsibility and accountability, and while doing my own research for this section, I think colleges should continue creating opportunities for students to talk about important issues, hear from guest speakers, and connect what they learn in class to their own communities.

If I’m being honest, I feel like I enjoyed some presentations more than others. The ones I was the most alert to the most were the clear, organized ones that felt genuine. I paid more attention when presenters explained the meaning behind the person’s influence instead of just reading the slides. That made the presentation more engaging and interesting.

Overall, this project helped me see democracy in a more realistic way. It is shaped over time by many different people with different roles and ideas. Some people create change, others question systems, and some protect the public. All of them leave an impact. In the end, the presentations reminded me that democracy is always evolving and that individuals really can influence the future of a country. It also made me realize that even students like us can be part of that change.