LHS Journalism alumni turned campaign figure
For years, the journalism class of Liberty High School has served as a small vehicle of activism for its students. It teaches the ethics and guidelines of journalism, as well as the importance and necessity of one of the building blocks of our government. The class has produced several individuals who have entered the field or contributed to it. One individual being Austin Kenney, a journalism alumni turned campaign figure.
Austin Kenney is an active campaign worker in San Francisco. He graduated from Liberty High School in 2019, spending his sophomore year involved in the journalism class and writing for the newspaper, The Lion's Roar. He now applies the skills of keeping an open mind and having effective conversations by his campaigning.
Kenney began his journey at Los Medanos College, though he was unsure about his future path. Kenney then enrolled in a California politics class, where he became engaged, and the professor piqued his interest. He explained that, while he had always been interested in politics, he now knew this was his "calling." He then transferred to California State University, Sacramento and switched to a political science and economics major.
While attending Sacramento State in 2024, he gained a legislative internship at the California State Senate where he interned for Steve Glazer, a former 7th District senator. As part of his responsibility, he contributed to the formation of a bill that would eventually get signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
In doing this work, Kenney realized he was driven to continue it. He desired to work in public policy and be a part of the work that would improve the lives of everyday people. He wanted to help implement policies that would help citizens gain access to a better quality of life, such as lowering prices of necessities because, "we deserve it."
Kenney began his campaign work in February of this year for a politician in San Francisco. He describes its importance as bringing more people in and making policies for a wider audience and communities without compromising values.
He pleads for young people to get involved in their communities and be a part of change. He says that everything begins with local change and, "We are in control of our own destiny."
Kenney also commented on the occurrence of politicians using money to buy favor. He talks about how people are starting to recognize the speakers who are willing to fight for the people they are representing. He rejects the idea the idea that power must be bought by wealth and declares that, "Organized people beats organized money."
Towards the end of our discussions, Kenney commends journalism in general, referring to it as an invaluable part of society. He advises journalism students to, "keep doing what you're doing," and to continue to do the most important thing: inform people. He ends with one final quote: "When we accept leaders can kill free speech, we are betraying the First Amendment."
