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About the Author

Elena is a high school student in California and the daughter of immigrants from Mexico and Ireland. In 2016, Elena traveled to Reno, Nevada and used her Spanish-language skills to encourage Latinos to vote. She also interviewed volunteers for what was supposed to be a documentary about the grassroots movement to help elect the country's first female president. While she was very disappointed by the election's outcome, it inspired her to blog about social issues, change makers, and more.

Today, she serves as Editor in Chief of her high school newspaper, leads technical aspects of her school’s theatrical productions, and performs in various string and vocal ensembles. 

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My Letter to Hillary

Dear Hillary Clinton, My name is Elena, and I am 12 years old. I currently live in California, and am in the seventh grade. I have been a tremendous fan of yours since 2008 when you ran against President Obama in the Primary Election. My parents would gather the family, (then just my Mother, Father and I) and sit in front of a very old antenna TV to watch the Democratic debates and convention. I’d like to think that I, only 4 years old at the time, would speak with them intelligently about the political issues being addressed among the candidates, but it was not so. I barely understood what half your words meant, much less the importance of the event taking place on the screen. It all sounded awfully boring to four year old me, but I didn’t care. I liked to watch. Why? Because I thought you were great. Of course, I didn’t understand how great at the time, but pretty great. Great enough for me to sit at the table and draw detailed pictures of you in your orange pantsuit. ...
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