Summary
My name is Joe Kubicki. I am a current undergraduate student at George Mason University majoring in Government and International Politics. I am currently involved with the Migration Policy and Advocacy Fellows Program and am completing this spring an internship with Democracy onAir.
I am interning at Democracy onAir because it is a perfect intersection of my interest in politics and my skills in journalism. Getting the word out to the people about what is going on in the world and why they should pay attention is something that is very important to me. So, I want to use my time at Democracy onAir to help spread awareness for issues that more often go unnoticed because people don’t know that these things are even happening.
OnAir Post: Joe Kubicki
News
How would I improve our democracy? Well, I would start with changing the way political campaigns are funded. At the moment with the Citizens United court decision, has allowed millions of dollars of dark money to be funneled towards campaigns.
What is dark money? It is money that is donated through Super PACs that have no restrictions on how much you can donate and allows it to be done anonymously. If we want to have fair campaigns and elections we either need to publicly fund campaigns so we know how much money is spent or allow the unlimited donations to continue but not anonymously.
Overall though, the sooner the problem is fixed, the better because democracy is meant to make all of our inputs equal, but the way some are able to affect the political system shows just how unequal we really are when it comes to who is in charge.
Democracy matters to me because democracy is an answer to a question; how is power distributed throughout society? And if that answer happens to be a democracy, well then this society you live in has distributed power in a manner so as to try and provide for those who do not have enough for themselves. Because of this, a belief in a functioning democracy is foundational to the other beliefs I hold. When my paternal grandparents and maternal great-grandparents respectively came to America they had nothing except contacts of family friends. My parents were both able to pursue college degrees. My dad got a master’s degree and my mom got a doctorate. Coming to a country that is a democracy allowed both sides of my family to prosper in a multitude of ways. While the spread of democracy is not directly linked to the spread of freedom it is something that often comes with it because the reasoning for starting a democracy is very heavily associated with that of maintaining the most freedom possible for every individual in the society.
About
My Major
I’m majoring in Government and International Politics because I think too many people and problems have been ignored by our politicians, our institutions, and our governments. Whether it’s the water in Flint, Michigan, the Dakota Access Pipeline, homeless freezing on the streets. Instead of helping these people, which might actually cost money and take some effort, they just find ways to hide the problems, waiting until another issue is plastered on news headlines and they don’t have to do anything, making public benches impossible for homeless people to sleep on and you can’t see that we have people freezing on the streets at night.
I’m majoring in government because my family got help when they needed it, and they even got it from this country, and I can’t stand idly by while other families that could just as easily have been my family are ignored, turned away, or even outright attacked.
I’ve been lucky enough to live a life where I can believe in the promises America is supposed to make to the people who live here or come here. I just want other people to be that lucky too.
My Professional Goals
After I graduate I want to work in politics or the world that orbits politics at the least. Whether that is an NGO, lobbying group, a non-profit or charity, or even just working for a politician or in the government.
If I can, I want the work I do to be policy-focused that way it is generally going to be a broad effect that it has on the world which would help the most people as possible. From my days in the yearbook, I have a bit of a soft spot for journalism so if the ideal opportunity comes up to be a political reporter I think I would have to take that chance if it came up. Otherwise, I just want to be close to the process of making the world better and I want to leave my fingerprints on it by pushing us towards an even better world.
Education
George Mason, Schar School of Policy and Government
Bachelor of Arts Majoring In Government and International Politics Graduation Expected May 2024
Overall GPA: 3.29
Work Experience
Sept. 2018 – June 2019
Team Leader, Colonial Forge High School Yearbook
I managed a team of people on the yearbook staff ensuring they stayed on schedule and met all yearbook deadlines. I also helped them create their spreads which included planning, photography, editing, interviewing, and as a leader, I had to ensure they were confident in their abilities, stayed on schedule, got any assistance from the editors or teacher that was needed, and any problems they had I either needed to solve or report to the editors and teacher as necessary or take responsibility for any unfinished or low-quality work. The main function of a team leader besides consolidating a group was being entrusted with the fact that any work that had been delegated to your group that was unfinished by a certain point you were expected to complete.
June 2019 – May 2020
Editor, Colonial Forge High School Yearbook
Including all the roles of the team leader, which became extended to the entire yearbook staff that you were the first expected to complete work, you had several additional responsibilities. As an editor I was responsible for the artistic direction of the yearbook, I created the style that the entire yearbook used. I had the challenge of making the vision of the other editors and teacher a reality, pretty much by myself, and I had to teach myself the advanced photoshop that I used. As well, I helped guide the next year’s team leaders and editors, helped them gain more skills, and become more prepared for stepping into a leadership role.
Dec. 3 – 5, 2021
Judge, GMU Patriot Games
I had to judge for numerous different debates where students competed either on their own or in small teams to debate a pre-selected topic which they had to be able both in favor of and against the selected topic. I had to manage the debate, ensuring the competitors stayed on time, that we followed the proper format, and that we finished in time, and while doing so I had to analyze the arguments being made from both sides and determine who was doing better as well as why. I judged all the way up to the finals of the Public Forum debate and stayed
Skills
- Microsoft Office
- Adobe Suite
- Graphic Design
- Photoshop
- Research Skills
Politics
Source: none
New Legislation
Videos
Over the course of my time at onAir Networks I have made numerous videos of varying quality, and would like to share some of the highlights of my time here on my personal profile.
Featured Videos – Under 1 Min.
Climate
July 7, 2023 (00:18)
By: Climate Change Network
Immigration
July 19, 2023 (00:18)
By: Immigration Network
News Videos
Shorts
OnAir Overviews
OnAir Activities
I do work on all of onAir Networks youtube channels and have worked on multiple of our livestreams, as well as helping coordinate our in person events which usually get posted to youtube as well.
