Fiona Murray was interested in politics from a young age, but she never really saw herself as a politician. Now, the former IGNITE Seattle Fellow is well on her way to becoming a politician and is motivated to help other young women do the same. Fiona first came across the IGNITE Fellowship when a friend sent her the application, but she was unsure of whether to apply. She came across the application a few more times and spoke with her career advisor about the opportunity before finally applying on the last day.
“I applied to become a Fellow because I wanted to challenge myself to speak out more and wanted the chance to collaborate with other people,” shares Fiona. As an IGNITE Fellow, she has hosted college councils, connected with elected officials, and started an IGNITE college chapter.
For Fiona, one of the best parts of the Fellowship was getting coffee with the young women who are interested in politics, many of whom want to make a difference but feel left behind. “We have similar insecurities about speaking up or seeming too aggressive or being too timid. As a Fellow, I get to help other young women overcome those barriers together.”
Fiona shares that being part of the Fellowship challenged her to step out of her comfort zone, helping her grow both professionally and personally. “Being an IGNITE Fellow showed me that I really do want to become a politician. I want to serve my community because doing so has a tremendous capacity to create change. Seeing all these passionate young women who are motivated to make a difference motivated me.”
Fiona’s biggest passion is policy, especially when it comes to voting-related issues. She’s currently getting her master’s in public policy at the University of Washington. “I’ve always been interested in policy but I didn’t realize it. People who are interested in their local communities, history or the news, it’s all policy. If you have an interest in those things, you probably have an interest in policy.” Fiona has even created an Instagram account dedicated to talking about policy windows with other young women.
When Fiona graduates, her goal is to become a policy analyst and hopes to run for office in the near future. “When you become an IGNITE Fellow, you join a network of young women who are owning their political power and that’s inspiring. You’ll learn to believe in yourself and then you’ll end up inspiring others.”
Interested in becoming an IGNITE Fellow? Apply here.