Throughout her high school years, senior Zoe Best has grown into the well spoken person she is today and through all her involvements and experiences, found that her true passions lie in politics and law.

“I want to go to law school after I do my undergrad at Syracuse,” she said. “Then I’d like to be an attorney for a while, but the eventual goal is to go into politics — I’d really like to be a congresswoman or senator.”

Although she decided on her viewpoints early on, time has allowed her to grow into her political standings and find that advocating for them is something that interests her.

“I’ve always been a raging liberal,” she said. “Starting out during that first election between Hillary [Clinton] and Donald Trump, I decided my views.”

While political interest was one aspect of her desire to go into politics, she found courses such as debate have allowed her to gain the skills necessary for entering such fields.

“The debate class has been a huge part of my decision to go into political science,” Best said. “It’s made me so much smarter, wittier and quick on my feet, which made me feel like I could be successful in politics or as a lawyer.”

Through personal experiences, a moral standard she has claimed is change must happen through actions of your own.

“When I wasn’t a part of StuCo freshman and sophomore year, there were so many things that I wanted to see happen, but I didn’t know how to make them happen,” Best said. “When I joined Student Council, it was like I was in control — if I wanted to see something work, then I could do it. I kind of realized it’s the same way with the United States. If I want to see something happen, or I want to make something work, I have to do it myself.”

Although her exact career path is still undecided, Best is committed to finding solutions for immigration and environmental issues.

“I want to get up as high into the political world as I can, keeping an honest mindset,” she said. “If that means me just being a congresswoman, that’s one thing or if that means me being president, there’s that too. I’ve never lacked drive, and I don’t think I will in the future.”