On May 16, congressional candidate and Marin County native Erin Schrode visited campus. She attended Marin Academy in San Rafael, before graduating from New York University. Eleven years ago, Schrode founded her own nonprofit, Turning Green, which encouraged high school students to fight broken policies involving education, and environmental issues, among other topics. “[Marin] has instilled in me strong principles around active citizenry, [it’s where] I learned the meaning of activism,” she said.
The 25-year-old Schrode could become the youngest woman in Congress. “There’s never been a woman under 30 elected to national office. For me, that’s a real problem and that needs to change.”
If elected, Schrode will focus on environmental and public health, learning, future human working rights, and overarching tech innovation. Schrode puts an emphasis on our duty to reverse environmental impacts. “We need to steward the earth around climate mitigation, preparedness, and climate reversal,” she said.
Schrode feels equipped to lead changes in human working rights. “I felt the burdens of student debt, I understand what it’s like to graduate without relevant skills training,” she said. “How do we equip young people like ourselves with the necessary skills to enter the workforce?”
Schrode is also interested in honing in on tech innovation. “We are the ones leading that revolution in science, tech, and media,” she said. “We better understand the present and future because we will lead it.”
As a young candidate, Schrode concedes the process has been challenging and even discouraging at times. Nonetheless, Schrode is excited and passionate about running for Congress in California’s District 2, which includes Marin, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity counties, and parts of Sonoma. “Marin County is the reason why I am the way that I am. It has instilled in me strong principles around active citizenry,” she said. “We have the opportunity to elect a voice that’s representative of us, to represent our national government, how exciting is that?”