Maggie Lile, features editor

From campus to the Green Line and all the way to the Capitol, students from across Minnesota will be searching for a space to make their voices heard on March 11 — the free lunch is just a bonus. This day will be known as Day at the Capitol for the Minnesota Association of Private College Students (MAPCS). 

This event gives students the opportunity to go to the Capitol to meet House Representatives and Senators, as well as partake in a Q&A with public policy figures. The topic of discussion will be the Minnesota State Grant, which gives financial aid to low-income and middle-income students, supporting many individuals’ goals of higher education. Without this grant, students who rely on financial aid risk losing their support, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

As one of the 2024-2025 Augsburg Student Representatives for MAPCS, Jamma Jiggo actively advocates for student aid to reach those that need it here at Augsburg. “This includes writing to legislators, spreading the word for events like Day at the Capitol, and testifying for legislation in front of committees at their hearings. Last month, I testified in front of the MN Senate Higher Education Committee at the Capitol on behalf of the current $210 million shortfall and the impact it will have on students like myself,” she said in an interview with the Echo. As she advocates for herself, it is no exaggeration that she will be advocating for most of the student body, too. “At Augsburg, more than half of all undergraduate students receive the State Grant. These funds are critical to students’ ability to access higher education,” added Rachel Farris, Augsburg’s director of Public Relations and Internal Communication, in an interview with the Echo.

Interested in attending this event, but not confident in your advocacy skills? Don’t worry! Lobbying and advocacy training will be provided the day of to prepare students. “The training ultimately helps students understand how to raise awareness and build support for an issue applicable in the meetings with your district’s representative,” Jiggo stated. For example, this training would include learning all about the State Grant shortfall, in order to devise the most effective message possible. 

While advocacy certainly has extensive effects, there are also intrinsic benefits, as well.  “Learning about advocacy has personally taken me out of my introverted comfort zone and forced me to productively take up space as a Woman of Color in white-dominated spaces like the Capitol,” Jiggo proudly stated. 

With the current state of our world in consideration, youth-led activism acts can act as the light at the end of the tunnel. “Advocacy is crucial in an ever-changing world, and starting to build those skills as a student can be intimidating at first but is rewarding in the end!” Jiggo explains. “Day at the Capitol is an event that empowers the next generation of changemakers in Minnesota to represent a population of students who may hold positions that affect our constituents.” In other words, Day at the Capitol acts as an opportunity for students to have a direct influence on their own future as well as their classmates alongside them.