Miranda Van Mooy ’24 is ALL IN on improving the state of U.S. democracy
Miranda Van Mooy ’24 knows the best kind of government is one where the most people willingly and informatively participate in selecting its elected officials. So, she went out and did her best to bring that maxim into being. And while increasing the size of America’s voting pool is its own reward for Van Mooy, her work has not gone unnoticed. This spring, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge honored her with a spot in their Honor Roll, a collection of 137 students across the United States who went above and beyond in their “commitment to nonpartisan democratic engagement and their contributions to their local communities.”
The Challenge, which began in 2016, seeks to encourage democratic engagement, “especially nonpartisan college student voter registration, education and participation.” In reaction to 20% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 and just 19% of college students voting in the 2014 midterm elections, the organization focused its energies on colleges and universities to increase involvement and participation. Eight years later, ALL IN has grown some 27 times larger than the 74 colleges and universities in partnership at its inception.
From the moment she became a Camel, Van Mooy was interested in helping students register to vote. Unfortunately, she faced an immediate glaring obstacle.
“It was 2020, so there wasn’t much going on [due to COVID],” she admits.
Nonetheless, when she heard about an opportunity to get involved, she took the chance to get on a Zoom call populated mostly by Conn seniors. Fortunately, a faculty member noticed her enthusiasm and reached out, inviting Van Mooy to join the Camel Votes program, an initiative of Connecticut College’s Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy dedicated to nonpartisan voter registration. She became the group’s ambassador, a position she held for the next four years, which put her in partnership with ALL IN.
Despite the demands of keeping the student body—and herself—safe, Van Mooy ensured Camels Vote followed through on its mission. When the dust settled at the end of the 2020 voting cycle, Conn was named the No. 1 college or university involved in ALL IN out of more than 2,000 participants.
“It was pretty spectacular,” she enthuses.
While achieving that kind of success out of the gate can lead some to rest on their laurels, Van Mooy didn’t give in to that temptation, as evidenced by this year’s honor.
She explains, “I worked with Emily Swintak ’24 and Emma Pyles ‘24 to pioneer Camel Votes for four years and, going forward, we have this amazing team transitioning in that we are so excited about.”
That commitment only made the ALL IN honor the sweeter.
“It’s something really special, especially because it was something our Camel Votes team has been working so hard on. Especially during off-election years. A lot of work goes on then, behind the scenes, and I’m very grateful to be recognized.”
For the brand-new Conn grad, teamwork is key. While it may be her name on the Honor Roll, she shares credits with others every chance she gets.
“I love playing a part in bringing all these people together. The Holleran Center does an amazing job of giving us the freedom and opportunity to celebrate civic engagement. They gave us an amazing platform and the funds to help us do what we do.”
While Van Mooy has now graduated and turned the responsibility over to younger Camels, she isn’t ready to leave civic engagement in the rearview.
“It’s hard to imagine a world where I’m not involved, because it’s so important to me, especially with the 2024 election coming,” she reflects. “Whether that’s in my community or something greater, I’m still figuring out. But with all the opportunities going to Conn has given me, all the ways it gave me a more educated point of view, and everything I learned through ALL IN, I know it’s inevitable I stay involved.”
