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When Claire McMorris lists everything she’s involved in on the Oregon State campus, it’s hard to believe she’s just a sophomore.

The political science major is also pursuing minors in music and Spanish. She sings in Bella Voce, an all-female choir of 40 undergraduates that traveled to Brazil last summer for an international music conference. She’s been to Washington D.C. twice with the College of Liberal Arts. She is an  Honors College student. She’s worked with the Associated Students of Oregon State University (ASOSU); the Daily Barometer, OSU’s student newspaper; and she’s currently working with Oregon State’s Government Relations Office as a legislative outreach assistant.

“I’ve been really lucky,” she says with a bright smile. But then she backtracks. “I think a lot of it is, I take the initiative to find the opportunities.”

It all started in high school, when McMorris was selected to attend Oregon Girls State. The American Legion Boys State and American Legion Auxiliary Girls State teaches students how government works and develops leadership and citizenship skills. Participants learn what it’s like to run for office, represent the public and create legislation.

“We got to tour the capitol in Salem and do a mock senate and house, and I think that’s what got me interested in politics,” she says. “I thought ‘Hey, we can create something here that will affect a whole group of people for the better.’”

During her experiences in high school, McMorris became troubled by the lack of women holding public office in America. She views it as her duty to close the gap.

“If a woman has any inclination toward leadership, it’s her obligation to pursue it,” she says. “We need to start making changes now.”

McMorris has. She interned for state Sen. Sara Gelser’s campaign last summer, where she started networking and making connections. She’s continued to meet people through her government relations student position, where she aids Director Jock Mills and keeps a close eye on Oregon State’s interests during the legislative session.

Despite a busy schedule of classes and activities, McMorris still manages to spend so much time in Benton Hall that her friends in the music program are surprised she’s not a music major. Besides singing in Bella Voce, McMorris plays the flute in the Corvallis-OSU Symphony.

“Music is something I could never give up no matter how busy I get,” McMorris says. “It’s something I need in my life for stress relief and for entertainment.”

But politics is still her number one passion, and her goal is to one day run for public office.

“Right now I’m really happy with just getting all the experience I can in as many political fields as I can,” she says. “As a sophomore, I see something new on campus every day that I want to take advantage of. It’s something that comes with being at a world-renowned university like Oregon State.”

Originally published on Powered by Orange here.