Whitley Martin is majoring in General Studies with a concentration in Sociology and Women Studies. She believes voting and political participation are important ways to have her voice heard and enact change in her community, such as more programs for children. Before taking her class, she did not fully understand the three branches of government or their differences, but learning about them gave her greater insight into how the US political system works. One of her key issues is ensuring future generations can access affordable healthcare like Medicare. She also values freedom of speech and religion protected by the First Amendment. The class helped expand her knowledge of past and present issues as well as the legal system.

1. My Name is Whitley Martin and I am majoring in
General Studies with a concentration of Sociology
and Women Studies

2. Being an active participant in our political
system excites me because that is a chance
for my voice to be heard. Voting is very
important for me because it symbolizes
change and that is the only way that I can
express my opinion and actually make it
count. I would love to a change in my
community and more programs for
children to pursue their dreams, I don’t
believe anything should stay the same
there is always room for change

3. Before taking this class I really
didn’t have a good
understanding about the
federal powers and the three
branches of government. I
didn’t know the difference
between executive, legislative
and judicial branch. The
process became very
interesting to me because it
gave me a better
understanding about how out
government works

4. Medicare is an issue that I believe is
most important issue. Medicare is a
valuable source of health insurance
for nearly 45 million Americans
mainly seniors ages 65 and older, but
also 7 million younger adults with
permanent disability. Medicare is a
popular program but faces many
challenges now and in the years to
come. Finance care for the future
generations is one of them, which is
scary because I'm apart of that future
as well as others, what options will we
have?

5. I personally believe that the First Amendment are the most
important. The First Amendment protects freedom of
religion, speech and the press, as well as the right to
assemble and petition the government .Freedom of religion
supports the right of a person or group to practice their
religion in public or private. It also includes the freedom to
change their religion or not follow one at all. This is very
important because nobody should ever be told how to
practice his or her own religion or what religion to follow.
We're all different, and we all see religion differently.
Freedom of speech is the right to communicate one's ideas
verbally. There are some limits to this, though, such as libel,
slander, obscenity and incitement to commit a crime.
Freedom of speech is my favorite right. It lets me state my
opinion and know that it's OK as long as I'm not slandering
anybody.

6. I'VE LEARNED A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF PAST AND
PRESENT ISSUES THAT I THOUGHT ABOUT OR TALKED
ABOUT PUBLICLY. I WAS VERY LIMITED ON MY KNOWLEDGE
TOWARD GOVERNMENT AND HOW RULES AND
REGULATIONS ARE FORMED AND THE STEPS THAT ARE
TAKEN TO GET A RESOLUTION.
CIVIL AND CRIMINAL COURT REALLY STOOD OUT TO ME
BECAUSE I AM AN AVID “CRIME TV” WATCHER. MY
FAVORITE SHOWS ARE COURT TV AND CRIME STORIES.
WHAT I WATCH ON TV VERSES WHAT IS REAL BLEW MY
MIND, I HONESTLY DIDN’T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TWO. I AM SURE I WILL TAKE THIS
KNOWLEDGE AND APPLY TO MY FAVORITE TELEVISION
SHOWS.