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Kids On The Move: John Blakeslee

08/27/2008 - By by Tobi Tesoriero

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STUDENT AND FUTURE LEADER

While the legal voting age is 18, and we think of that as a right of passage to entry into the political process, John Blakeslee has demonstrated that one need not wait.
 
John became interested in government and politics in the fifth grade and has since remained involved in school government, local community politics, and has even expanded his interests to include national elections. His experience and service has been continuous and impressive.
 
He first ran for student council in fifth grade, again in sixth, and was reelected in eighth grade. In high school he ran for class president and garnered the distinction of winning the election and representing his class as president for 4 consecutive years – freshman through senior years. John also served on Holmdel High School’s student advisory board, which acts as a go-between for the administration and the students, and approves clubs and fundraisers. John rose to the top of this organization and became senior vice president; also, as class president, he served as Holmdel Board of Education (BOE) student representative.
 
During that time, John’s interests expanded, and at the end of his sophomore year he ran for New Jersey Association of Student Councils (NJASC). He took on special positions within that organization, serving as state BOE representative as a liaison to the student organization. He also attended monthly meetings and participated in the selection of a charity for which the NJASC board would raise money that year; they chose the Little Rock Foundation (each year a new board selects a different charity). He also participated in summer leadership programs for student council members.
 
When asked how he became interested in politics John laughed and said, “Well, I tell people, when I was little I did not have “Nickelodeon” and started watching “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert instead. I was hooked on politics.” John’s passion was furthered when he attended the Governor’s School. He spent the summer of his junior year in the Public Issue program, where he met State Senator Joe Kyrillos. He was offered an internship position in the Senator’s office and had the fabulous opportunity to work on Kyrillos’ reelection campaign; from there he worked on Mitt Romney’s campaign.
 
True to his style, John took an active role in campaigning. Among other things, he served as a volunteer, data manager, and field captain; he also vetted signatures as part of the process to get Romney on the ballot. After Romney’s bid ended, John turned his attention back to local issues. He always felt there should be a student on the Board of Education who could vote. He saw that the only way to get student perspective was to elect a student or recent graduate. He had heard that recent [Holmdel High School] graduate Mike Collins was interested, so John contacted him and offered his political experience in running campaigns. The young men proved to be successful; Collins won a board position and was the highest vote getter!
 
Next on tap for John was the formation of a political consulting firm – Cromwell Consulting, L.P. – with two other Holmdel High graduates, Jay Manchi and Mike Collins. They are managing the 12th district congressional race for Alan Bateman, as well as the campaign for a Holmdel Deputy Mayor candidate.
 
John’s advice for others who might want to step up their involvement in politics or government is not to over think the process – just volunteer, attend functions, and contact campaigns. He suggested starting with local campaigns for more hands-on experience and added that there are local committee and assembly races next year in town in which people could easily get involved.
 

John will be attending Boston College in the fall, where he plans to study political science. In terms of future plans, John has many interests and has not yet settled on a particular career path. He is interested in doing consulting for campaigns, working for a think tank, or staying in school for a while and pursuing a doctorate. No matter his pick, it seems that John, with his keen intellect and drive, along with his most impressive record of service, leadership, and hard work, is certainly destined to rise to the top!

 

STATS
 
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Salt Creek Grille in Rumson
 
FAVORITE MUSICIAN
Bob Dylan
 
FAVORITE MOVIE
Pulp Fiction
 
PET PEEVE
people touching my computer screen
 
THREE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
Teddy Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Margaret Thatcher
 

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