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Last May, Jameson Goldstein had a surprising idea: Why not run for mayor of Boulder? Rather than spending the summer like most college students, he built a campaign , developed his platform and researched the issues that matter to him. Here, he reflects on how his Leeds education has shaped his confidence and approach.

How has your Leeds experience contributed to your confidence to run for mayor?

The most important thing from Leeds that has helped me was my Communications Strategy class that I took freshman year. My teacher taught us about all the different types of speeches, and then throughout the class, we prepared and delivered three or four different speeches, and then also did a presentation at the end. That helped a lot with my public speaking ability. A lot of the events I go to for the mayor campaign are forums. I was at a forum the other day where I was speaking with the other candidates in front of an audience of 100 people. Having that experience from class was really helpful.

Whatever the election outcome, how do you envision using what you’ve learned at Leeds in your future?

For me, my favorite thing—a topic that spanned multiple classes—was learning about the soft skills of business and networking, which is something I think people often discount. While it’s important to have the knowledge of what you’re doing in your job, at the same time, you need to come across as an emotionally intelligent and likable person. On top of that, the professional network I’ve developed at Leeds has been fantastic. I still have people from my freshman cohort that I talk with, and I imagine a lot of those connections are going to pay off for the rest of my life.

Some campaign coverage has focused on your age, which you’ve described as an asset. What perspective do you think someone of your generation—and particularly a current CU student—brings to conversations about Boulder’s future?

I think number one—as a young member of any generation going back in history—it’s important that you see things from a new perspective. At a certain point as you get older, you might see things within a rigid framework compared to when you’re younger. Also, as a member of Gen Z, we’re the first generation that’s truly technologically native. I had my first iPod Touch when I was 6 years old, so I think understanding intimately how technology works, how we interact with it on a day-to-day basis, is really great. In running my campaign, it helps me understand what needs to be done in terms of policy in relation to lot of issues.

Have you recruited fellow Leeds or CU students to help with your campaign?

Most of the help I've needed has been with film and editing, so I have three film students who actively work with me. They help produce videos, edit and post them on social media.Ìý

What has surprised you most so far about running for mayor?

I really came into this having no idea what to expect. I think that’s an advantage. A lot of times when you go into something, you just assume it’s going to be a lot easier than it is. I think it’s a good thing that I didn't realize just how hard and time-consuming it would be, otherwise it might have dissuaded me from running. But I'm really happy that I’m doing it. One surprise was how relatively easy it is to initiate the process. The only requirements are that you’re of age, you have lived in Boulder for at least a year, and you need 25 valid signatures from Boulder voters. There were so few hoops to jump over that my friend and I kept thinking we were missing something.

Bonus question: Regardless of the outcome, what do you see yourself doing the day after the election?

I want to take the whole team of people who have helped me through this whole process to breakfast somewhere. I’m thinking either Lucile’s Creole Café or the Village Coffee Shop. Yeah—just to enjoy a nice breakfast and talk for a few hours.