On Monday, July 25, Representative Jay Kaufman spoke at the event “You Too Can be President”. This event was organized by Saatvik Ahluwalia, 21, Lexington High School graduate, and a rising senior in the undergraduate program at Boston University. It was held at Cary Memorial Library, sponsored by Archana Singhal and Mohinder Ahluwalia who provided the food and drinks.

The event was organized around the question “What are the benefits and possibilities in public service?” Around fifty people attended, ninety percent of which were young people below 20 years old. It opened with speaker Partha Ghosh, leadership coach and graduate of MIT, who gave a brief introduction to the benefits of engaging in public service. His essential message was that to serve unconditionally one has to recognize one’s purpose. He urged everyone to read the “Gospel of Wealth”, written by Andrew Carnegie. He then introduced Saatvik Ahluwalia who had recently been awarded an internship by the Indian American Forum for Political Education with Rep. Jay Kaufman. This internship inspired him to hold a forum for young people to encourage them to get more involved with the political process.

Rep. Kaufman surprised everyone by asking the youth in the audience to share what they would like to hear him speak about. That one request changed the context of everybody's listening since it provided room for dialogue. Rep. Kaufman went on to discuss his own journey into public life. His journey reflected the life of a man who followed his heart and found his purpose. One of the things he spoke about was his objection to the two day tax-holiday bill that is being voted upon. He felt that the $20 million in lost revenue would not be worth the two days, because that money is what funds the METCO program. He encouraged the young participants how they would like to engage with the political process, which was received well by the audience. Rep. Kaufman addressed the issue of youth feeling “unheard” or invisible in political affairs, assuring them that every time he hears from the community, it informs his decision making process. He also mentioned that “five people who share and communicate one issue is a flood”, explaining to the audience that they are not unheard, but rather they don't speak up. He ended by pledging to engage more with the youth of Lexington, specifically from the Lexington High School, to initiate programs where he can work directly with groups of young people. This event began with a dance performance by Saatvik Ahluwalia and Kartik Shastri and ended with the raffle of an Ipod Shuffle.

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