Mike Brodo ’18 wants to talk about politics (And he wants you to talk about politics, too)

He wants people from all sides to be able to share ideas, to disagree with civility, and to move the conversation forward. He’s not just talk either, he’s action.

“We need to get over the idea of rigid partisanship,” says Mike. “Proposed legislation or ideas aren’t inherently bad just because the sponsor has a D or R next to his or her name. This bipartisanship is coming to life on Beacon Hill, and I’m proud to be playing a direct role.” He’s referring to a bill that he, as the State Chairman of the Teenage Republicans of Massachusetts, helped to pass through the Senate in a bipartisan effort with the Teenage Democrats of Massachusetts. If approved by the House (House Bill 1582), it will require the implementation of comprehensive civics education in schools across Massachusetts.

Education is the key, according to Mike. “Civics education is a bipartisan, student-oriented issue, and it’s so important because it gives students the tools they need now so they can be better citizens later in life.” For Mike, a better citizen is an engaged citizen, one with knowledge of the issues and the tool set to discuss and debate them with an open mind.

Here at Xaverian, Mike helped to establish the PolitiX Club to give students a place after school to talk, listen, and learn from each other in a supportive environment. He says he wanted to provide students with “a firsthand, positive experience discussing issues affecting our generation.” He adds, “It’s not just talking about issues, it’s learning how to talk about politics; because we are a democracy, we’re supposed to talk about the issues. It shouldn’t become something personal when we talk politics. The more involved I got (in politics), the more I realized that people can get very angry. But these are things that we are all supposed to work together on to find the best way to bring about change. The PolitiX Club shows us how to foster discussion and engage with the issues personally, instead of just going off on social media.”

Mike himself has been the recipient of that anger, from attacks on social media to insults being shouted at him in person. In addition to his work with the Teenage Republicans, Mike has manned the phones, pounded the pavement, and tallied the votes for candidates in campaigns across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. When he was four years old, he says, he became enamored with the presidential election. By 2012, he began collecting and posting lawn signs (a collection which he says now fills his bedroom). He played an active role in the 2016 election cycle, and became a recognizable face on the campaign trail for Governor Charlie Baker. What he learned at the last convention he served at is this: “The more people recognize who you are, the more they attack you.”

“We had a Republican state convention in late April,” he says. “There was someone challenging the Governor that I very vehemently disagreed with, he was a more far right, social conservative. What I experienced and saw at that convention highlights the urgent need for civics education and the need for this discourse to become common- place in society, so we don’t have people hurling insults and attacks. We want to help people and we want to put our best ideas forward, not hurl insults at each other.”

Despite the personal attacks and the sometimes heated exchanges, Mike says he is glad he has gotten into politics. He adds, “I learned to stand my ground, and it allowed me to mature a lot faster. People think politics is an adult world, but I’m changing that.”

Mike is attending the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service next year, where he plans to major in international politics and minor in international development. He aspires to become a U.S. diplomat, working on issues of gender equality and education, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. He says he wants a job “that allows me to craft policy and is constantly making me try new things, meet new people, and expand my horizons, all in an effort to better the lives of others.”

He qualifies his hopes for his future, saying, “I don’t want to plan it out too much. I want to see what happens. But I do want to go forward and leave my mark on the world.” In many ways, he already has.