Amanda Cohen: Rocking the Vote for PA

Amanda Cohen is a 15 year old blogger who attends Central High School in Philadelphia. She is covering the convention for the PA Dems to give the youth vote experience. Here is a guest diary Amanda shared with us this morning:

Rock the Vote is an organization that speaks to my generation. Their mission is to get younger voters to go out and make a difference. They do this by hosting concerts and using modern technology. Rock the Vote was founded about 18 years ago. OMG! The Rock the Vote concert was so awesome. Celebrities, paparazzi, flashing lights! It felt like I was at the Grammies. When I got there, I saw the red carpet and it occurred to me that this was a big deal. I stood by the velvet rope and waited for the celebrities to come.

Then, everyone started screaming “Fall Out Boy!!!” I saw Pete Wentz walk through the door and experienced one of those life-changing moments. I was holding in my excitement as I got my picture taken with him. Once he left I almost fainted! I was sooooooooooooo happy! Then I got another picture taken with the drummer of Fall Out Boy, Andy Hurley. The rock group Daughtry, led by Chris Daughtry a former American Idol finalist, also attended. When I saw them, I was speechless. As I was trying to catch my breath, the rapper Pharrell came walking in the door. Just when I was getting a picture, the ushers were calling for everyone to go inside. The auditorium was so empty. We were sitting in the 4th balcony and could hardly see. Then one of the users came and said that we could move to the floor. Can you say happy girl?????? I got a seat in the 4th row center section. I was listening to one of the performers when my mom came over and told me that I had an interview with the executive director, Heather Smith, for the purpose of this blog.

Now, I had backstage access. THIS WAS THE COOLEST THING…EVER!!! While I was sitting backstage, I met Congressman Meek from Florida, who is a kids’ advocate. He was so charming and he gave me a gold coin and asked to take a picture with me. Do you believe it?!?!? A congressman wanting to take a picture with me! This night just kept getting better. I went back into the audience in time to see the end of N*E*R*D’s performance. They got the crowd very excited and hyped. Then it was time for the main attraction, FALL OUT BOY! They were so amazing! They played all of my favorite songs, like Beat It, Sugar We’re Goin Down, Dance Dance and This Ain’t a Scene It’s an Arm Race. I think Rock the Vote’s events inspire youth to get involved with politics because if teens see some of their role models getting involved, then they would follow in their footsteps. Also, it shows that celebrities are not superficial. They get involved and like seeing a change in the way everyone lives.

Even for someone who grew up around politics (that would be me), Rock the Vote’s concert made the convention unforgettable.

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