Campaign-In-A-Day All-Star: Grace Tarr

Since American Majority’s premiere Campaign-In-A-Day event at the Forge Leadership Summit in July of 2016 we have had over 900 students trained through the innovative event. Each event brings in students with unique skill sets and “celebrity” judges with different political backgrounds to critique, give feedback, and choose individual award winners. During our time in 2018 we were able to meet standout, Grace Tarr, who was selected by judges not only during our Campaign-In-A-Day at Grove City College, but also by judges at this year’s Forge Leadership Summit. For those not familiar with the training, Grace describes it as a “whirlwind of problem solving and strategic planning combined with campaign training intensives throughout the day.”

During her two events, Grace had the opportunity to be her team’s candidate as well as the campaign’s political director. Speaking of her experiences, Grace says they were, “equally rewarding and challenging. Each role taught me the ins and outs of campaign work from multiple angles.” Through these different perspectives of the event Grace was able to challenge herself in how she defended her side during the face-off portion in front of judges during the events. Looking at her experiences as a whole, Grace said:

“Campaign-In-A-Day helped me understand the importance of messaging in an effective campaign. Even when the campaign I was assigned did not align with my personal views, it taught me how to argue both sides effectively. Ultimately, it has helped me understand issues from other people’s perspectives and to be more equipped when talking to people with whom I disagree.”

For students who have not participated in Campaign-In-A-Day, Grace advises, “Embrace the experience whether or not your team wins. Also, treat the experience as an investment; don’t settle for just one day of training, put that training into practice on your campus and in your community.”

Grace has taken her own advice to heart, being very active as a student on and off of the Grove City College Campus. She is a resident assistant, the College Republican Secretary, a Section Editor for her school newspaper, and Executive Council Member with American Enterprise Institute. Outside of school she is involved in the Forge Leadership Academy and helps recruit students for political organizations. She is all about connecting people. Grace said, “I am passionate about connecting fellow conservative students with trainings and opportunities so that we can build a movement together.” Looking at how Grace has risen to the occasion with the Campaign-In-A-Day trainings and how she has led on her campus, we have no doubt that Grace will be able to continue to build a movement before and after graduation.