Life After Training

Experiences from the road

Jacqueline Robinson - Pennsylvania

My life has definitely been on fast-forward since completing the Yes We Can training. After the program, I returned to California where I immediately began fielding interviews from numerous campaigns. I keep in close contact with representatives from Grassroots Solutions who facilitated my interviews and subsequent placement into my current position as Zone 1 Mobilization Coordinator, in Pennsylvania, for the AFL-CIO Labor 2006 program. ...(read more)

Maralyn O'Brien - Michigan

The Yes We Can Program has accelerated my political aptitude and insight on making gains as Democrats. When I returned to work for the Michigan Quality Home Care Campaign, I was assigned new political responsibilities. I was put in a team of three to develop the political plan for the campaign from the primary to November's general election. ...(read more)

Deric Joyner - Washington, DC

When I walked into Anderson Hall on June 15, I had no way of knowing what I would be experiencing for the next nine days. I had no way of knowing that for the duration of my stay at American University that I would be surrounded by a group of nineteen other like-minded young people and be trained by some of the best and brightest in the political world. ...(read more)

Brace Clement - Chicago

I can honestly say that the Yes We Can program has been instrumental in preparing me for current and future careers in the public sector. The knowledge that I received in the program gave me the hands-on experience that I needed coming out of college. As a graduate in political studies, it is not only important to understand the electoral system from a conceptual level, but it is equally important to be able to apply those same ideas. ...(read more)

Christopher Coes - Pennsylvania

Textbooks describe campaigns as fast-paced, quick think and brutal environments, where only some survive and few achieve change for their respected communities. The Yes We Can program, which included training from leading Democratic campaign experts, provided great hope and honest experiences that sharpen my skill set and enlighten my understanding of the political campaign process and its power. ...(read more)

Erika Barrera - Iowa

If ever there was a storybook ending to the decision-making process in choosing a campaign, mine would be the prototype. In the weeks following the close of the Yes We Can training program, I was full of emotions. Literally, tears poured from my eyes, not because of the absence of my Yes We Can family, but because I found out that I was moving to Waterloo, Iowa. The name alone required two boxes of tissues. Who willingly relocates to Waterloo?...(read more)

Cris Garza - Arizona

After having driven 850 miles in one day from my family's home in Stockton, CA to Tucson, AZ, I parked my car in front of the campaign headquarters and walked inside to meet my new team. I figured I would introduce myself, get a quick introduction, and leave to go sleep for the night, but what started as a quick hello turned into a conference call and intense preparation for a primary election debate in forty-eight hours. When I felt my exhaustion turn immediately into inspiration, I knew I had made the right decision to move out to the Arizona desert to work as the research director for Gabrielle Giffords' Congressional Campaign....(read more)

Justin Costa - Maine

I would recommend the Yes We Can program to anyone considering getting involved in electoral politics. The program is, without a doubt, the primary reason that I was able to begin work in political campaigns at the level of Field Director--a senior staff position-- instead of at an entry level position. ...(read more)

Al Williams, II - Georgia

June 23rd, the long awaited date had arrived. The Yes We Can campaign training was finally ending and everyone was eager to jump into a new career. While majority of the participants were packing up and preparing to go to the airport. I was already packed, on the edge, eager to get back to work as the statewide field coordinator of a Lieutenant Governor's campaign in Georgia....(read more)

Richard Santos - Washington, DC

Since leaving the Yes We Can Training I have been contacted by campaigns in Arizona, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington State. I am currently working as an Account Representative at MSHC Partners, one of the most respected Democratic direct mail firms in the country. The training has helped me in almost every aspect of my work at MSHC....(read more)

Lakshmi Sridaran - Maryland

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that Hopefund has given me to become increasingly introspective of the political values I have held. Although none of these values has changed since my completion of the program, the process by which I now understand them has greatly enhanced. ...(read more)

Alisa Morris - Iowa

I came into my position as Co-Deputy Finance Director for Congressional Candidate Bruce Braley prepared to work hard. From my training with Yes We Can, I knew what was needed to run a successful campaign. ...(read more)

Kevin Harris - Washington, DC

I have had amazing experiences since completing the Yes We Can Program. Though many of my campaign activities were already underway once the program started, the training was incredibly useful in helping me to become more effective in the things I was already doing to help elect Democrats. ...(read more)

Le'Wanna Heard - Georgia

The Yes We Can Program is by far the best campaign training program around. There is no doubt in my mind that if the Yes We Can Program were rated against some of the most popular training programs, that have been around for years, that it would have far superior reviews. No other program offers instructors with such political depth and experience. Each and everyday I was astonished by who lectured. These were some of the most prominent political advisors that the political world has to offer....(read more)