After spending the summer in Washington, DC, Stevenson High School graduate Amy Orlov is wanting to stay longer in the nation’s capitol once she’s eligible to make a run for Congress.
At 20 years old, the Buffalo Grove native will have to wait at least five more years to make that extended stay happen. By law, people can’t run for Congress until they turn 25 years old.
“I want to become a member of the (U.S.) House of Representatives at the youngest age possible,” Orlov said.
Orlov recently started her junior year at the University of Michigan. She spent the summer in the nation’s capitol through an internship with the Machon Kaplan program at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
The 30 scholarship winners watched policymaking in action, spending time with lobbying organizations such as the NAACP, the AFL-CIO and more. Orlov worked with the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities.
During the internship, she and her group bowled in the basement of the White House, took part in rallies and camped out in front of the U.S. Supreme Court before seeing the justices do their work. All of this came after Orlov hosted the third session of her summer camp for underprivileged Chicago kids called Camp Car, located in Oconomowoc, Wis.
Q: You interned in the social justice field, which is a huge spectrum. What do you see as the biggest social justice need today?
A: That is a hard question. It’s a two-part answer. Racial and economic justice, I think, are the biggest issues that need to be addressed in society. Despite it being 2016, there still are huge gaps in our country of how different races are treated. The ZIP code that you’re born into really is the biggest determining factor of how many opportunities you have.
Q: What is the U.S. Supreme Court like?
A: It was the last day of the session, so we all got there at 2 a.m. We played some Cards Against Humanity, and they let us in. They read the Whole Women’s Health case, which was the abortion case. One of the other cases we heard involved gun regulation for people who have been convicted of domestic abuse or violence. It was truly amazing, a moment that I will never forget. Especially at a historic time like right now, when there’s only eight justices.
Q: What makes you want to become a young congresswoman?
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A: There was a big rally happening, lots of congressmen and reporters were talking. I met (Democratic) Rep. Tony Cardenas from California. I talked with him about the changes I want to see, and he said, “If it’s not you, then who?” And that’s really right. Who is going to advocate what you believe in better than yourself? No one can say that it’s not your time and it’s not your place.
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