“As awkward as that is, we actually washed our hands at the sink together,” Audette said, describing his admiration for the openly gay journalist. “It is an inspiration for me that someone like (Capehart), who is really successful in Washington, could also be me as well.”

Capehart was just one of the prominent people Audette has met so far this week at the Democratic National Convention, or DNC, where he serves as a delegate for Michigan, in Charlotte, N.C.

Because the DNC is attended by journalists, music artists and politicians from across the country, Audette has been surrounded by some of the people he looks up to most.

“The DNC is a special circumstance where all these people are together in one spot, and you can really network and meet people, and you can talk to figures who inspire you,” Audette said.

Influential youth
Audette earned a position as a Michigan delegate for the convention in June, when he applied and was elected by members of the Michigan Democratic Party.

He is one of the youngest delegates from Michigan, said Mark Brewer, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party.

Brewer also said Michigan has the most youth delegates this year compared to the past conventions and that the Michigan Democratic Party has tried to make the positions more accessible to young people.

“It’s a very competitive process to become a delegate at the (DNC); you have people who have been involved in politics for several decades,” Brewer said. “But the youth are a very important part of the delegation. They’re the future of the party.”

The Democratic National Committee also reported the largest number of youth delegates this year compared to the past. This year, 644 delegates are under the age of 36, and 285 of those delegates are students.

But for many of these young delegates, attending the convention was not something they did on a whim, Audette said, adding he has been involved in politics for years.

Fellow delegate Daniel Elkus, a student at the University of Michigan, also had an early start in politics, volunteering for campaigns when he was 11 years old.

As someone with cerebral palsy, Elkus is supportive of the Affordable Care Act, which will allow him to stay on his parents’ insurance until he is 26, he said.

“I’m here to fight on behalf of people with disabilities and to make sure that the community knows how much President (Barack) Obama truly cares and truly represents our issues,” Elkus said.

Both Audette and Elkus said the convention is a chance for them to participate in something they believe in and make a difference.

Audette’s main concerns at the convention are education, equal rights and improving the economy, and he sees those issues as equally important to address this year.

“I want to change the world or have some lasting impression, and I feel like I can do it through politics,” Audette said. “I see so much potential as a state and as a nation, and I just want to change and make it better.”

Sharing the joy
When Audette returns to MSU next week, he expects to have more enthusiasm and ideas of how to encourage people to become involved in politics, whether that be registering more voters or campaigning on campus, he said.

Audette’s goals are not out of line with what Democratic National Committee Executive Director Patrick Gaspard highlighted in his speech to the Youth Council on Monday, asking youth between the ages of 18 and 36 to promote Obama on Twitter and Facebook.

“The young people I’m speaking to here seem to have a deep sense of the challenges that exist before us,” Gaspard said after his speech. “They’re able to recite and chapter and verse all that has been done and all that the president intends to do in his plan, so I’m excited to see just how deeply they’re involved.”

Gaspard added although there is a record number of youth delegates at the DNC this year, he does not believe the spirit of the youth is at the level it was in 2008 — but that doesn’t mean the youth won’t get there eventually.

A united cause
Although Thursday will mark Obama’s official acceptance of the Democratic Party’s nomination, Audette isn’t saving his celebrating until the end.

Along with getting interviewed by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Tuesday afternoon, he’s keeping his eyes peeled for political celebrities while attending parties and events throughout the week with old friends.

One of Audette’s close friends, Andrea Walton from American University, who served as a congressional page with him in 2010, is a delegate from Indiana at the convention this week.
Audette and Walton literally bumped into each other on the streets of Charlotte and later attended a private party where John Legend and Nick Cannon performed.

Walton, who had a few celebrity sightings of her own this week, said being a political nerd, the idea of being around her heroes is exciting.

“It is kind of unbelievable there are so many politicians whom I look up to,” Walton said.
But what Audette found even more inspiring was the way people from all different walks of life unite at the parties and convention events.

“You see blacks, whites and Latinos — we’re all together dancing and having a good time, so it’s a very exciting atmosphere,” he said. “We’re meeting new people, and we’re all here for the same cause: to re-elect the president.”