On Tuesday, debate wrapped early, and Senators Liz Bennett and Matt Blake invited me to tag along on a quick trip to Ames to visit students at Iowa State University. They had been asked to speak at an event at the Memorial Union, and I was grateful for the chance to join, though I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
The event was organized by two student groups: Coalition for University Equity (CUE), a student-led nonprofit working to push back against harmful policies, and Future We Demand, which empowers students to become lifelong activists, support inclusive policies, and drive meaningful change through civic engagement.
When we arrived, we were greeted by a full room of students and a welcome table covered in handmade zines, friendship bracelets, and information about how to get involved. Senator Herman Quirmbach and Representative Ross Wilburn—who represent the district—joined us as well.
Each table was topped with art supplies: construction paper, colored pencils, card stock, and even step-by-step guides for origami. I quickly got to work folding my own paper flower. Later, I drew a picture when students asked during an exercise to reflect on what brings us joy and share it with those around us (pictured above).
The students led a thoughtful and powerful program centered on something simple, yet profound: the rebellious act of experiencing joy.
They defined joy through three ideas—autonomy, congruence, and community.
Autonomy is the freedom to live in and express your identity without interference.
Congruence is the alignment between who you are and how the world treats you.
Community is finding your people and building a life together—right here in Iowa.
They spoke about joy not as something passive, but as something active and courageous. Choosing to be your full, authentic self. Showing up for others. Speaking out as an ally. Refusing to accept that inaction is neutral—because, as they reminded us, silence can too often be an endorsement.
One student, Zac—president of Future We Demand and an aeronautical engineering student at Iowa State—shared an analogy that has stayed with me.
He talked about early airplane design, and how engineers once used square windows. What they didn’t anticipate was how pressure builds in flight. At high altitudes, stress concentrates at sharp corners. Those square edges became weak points—places where cracks could form, ultimately leading to catastrophic failure.
The solution was simple, but transformative: round the corners. By softening the edges, the pressure could be distributed more evenly, making the aircraft stronger, safer, and able to fly.
His message was clear. We are not meant to carry the weight alone. When pressure builds—whether in our communities, our schools, or our state—we cannot let it concentrate in just a few places or on a few people. We must “round the corners”—lean on one another, support one another, and share the load—so that together, we can succeed.
From left to right: Sen. Liz Bennett, Rep. Ross Wilburn, Sen. Catelin Drey, Sen. Matt Blake, and Sen. Herman Quirmbach pose with student leaders from CUE and Future We Demand following Tuesday’s program.
At the Capitol, I do my best every day to hold onto joy, even in the face of difficult debates and challenging legislation. But stepping outside that space and hearing directly from students was a powerful reminder: our young people are not just enduring these challenges, they are responding with resilience, creativity, and courage.
They are choosing joy anyway. And in doing so, they are building something stronger than what they’re up against.
And that gives me hope.