Eagle Era

Evangeline Blom (11) encourages political awareness and action among her peers

By Lisa Shokoor

Evangeline Blom (11) represents a rare type of student in this day and age; even while still in high school, Blom is already making her mark in politics and human rights, using both her involvement in AHS’ Amnesty International Club and her podcast to engage in politics and human rights advocacy.

Blom started Amnesty International at AHS in an effort to tangibly impact real-world problems. Blom said, “We send out letters to local legislatures. For instance, we’ve written to [former Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem a few times, and we’ve also written to [Representative] Eric Swalwell and had a phone banking event where we called [Senator] Adam Schiff. Additionally, we hold paper doll events where we made dolls in protest of family deportation.”

Blom emphasized that the club’s purpose goes beyond discussing political issues in meetings. “With Amnesty we don’t just talk about human rights; the main point of it is that we actually do something about it. We try to have our voices heard—which aligns with what I wanted to do in the first place with politics,” she said. 

Blom next to Congressman Alex Lee at the Capitol in Sacramento as part of the Young Legislators Program for Students (Photo Credit: Evangeline Blom (11)). 

Blom then highlighted the rarity of student-led activism in this day and age. “A majority of us can’t vote yet, and we think that our voices don’t matter because we haven’t lived life yet, but I think it’s incredibly important because we offer a fresh perspective on everything,” she said.

Despite her accomplishments, Blom acknowledged the challenges that come with entering a political space from a young age. “It’s kind of intimidating sometimes because, whenever you’re around assemblymen or local [representatives], you feel really small. I think I have less respect in the eyes of a lot of individuals, and it’s tough when you’re young and not as experienced or educated,” she said.

Through Amnesty International, Blom emphasizes student leadership in order to create meaningful action. Tia Srivastava (11) is an officer of Amnesty International and spoke highly of Blom’s leadership. She explained, “As our president, Evangeline leads our meetings and events by presenting slides and making announcements. She helps keep the team organized and on task, which is crucial as it is common for members to forget their responsibilities often.” 

Srivastava notices the passion Blom has for student activism and its influence on the rest of the club. “Evangeline’s strong political interest ensures that she is informed of all that’s happening in the political world, and she passes on this knowledge to the members of our club and our club officers,” said Srivastava.

Mr. Kaeding, the club advisor for Amnesty International, encouraged students to be more involved in organizations like Amnesty. “They’ve done letter writing campaigns and other things of that nature to raise awareness. I think it’s a great way for students to start to see how they can be engaged civically to be able to make meaningful action and have their voices heard in our local politics.” 

In addition to her work in Amnesty, Blom also currently hosts a podcast called PoliTea for Teens, aimed at increasing political awareness among students. She said, “I thought that in our day and age, a lot of kids our age were just tapped out, and what I really wanted to do with my podcast was build awareness around current events and give kids ways to actually create tangible change.”

Blom held her trophy after competing, placing 5th overall nationally in Speech and Debate (Photo Credit: Evangeline Blom (11)). 

Blom then discussed the future of PoliTea for Teens and the impact she hopes it will have. She said, “I really love working with podcasts because I get to meet and talk to a lot of interesting individuals, and I hope to not only equip myself, but to equip our generation with tools for them to be able to know what they can do.” 

Mr. Peffer is Blom’s AP U.S. History teacher, and he talked about the issue of student political engagement. “A lot of times kids are just focused on what’s in front of them. Evangeline and I always talk about how kids aren’t focused on what is going on from a political standpoint. Kids need to realize that they’re going to inherit what is going on now.”

He continued, “For most students, it’s not on their radar because they have other concerns such as college apps; they’re not worried about things that are going on politically. It doesn’t become an issue until it affects them directly.” 

Shari Vaidya (11), a friend of Blom’s, reflected on how her confidence has developed over time, especially as she has stepped further into political spaces. “She’s really grown into her own person. Through her podcast and Amnesty, she’s become much more confident in speaking than she used to be in the past,” she said.

Christine Thomas (11), a speech and debate teammate of Blom’s, agreed, commending her communication skills and her presence in competitive speaking environments. “One thing that I see that definitely puts her apart from others is her willingness to go out and be herself. It’s very hard for some students to break the barrier [of] being shy but Eva has no issue in conquering that. I think that she doesn’t care if people judge her,” said Thomas.

Thomas is optimistic about Blom’s future in politics. “I see great things for her; I know she’ll be able to address these issues in her own school and in her own clubs, and I’m sure she’ll take it outside and enter the world of politics that she aspires to be a part of.”