University High School senior London Wollenweber of Bloomington is a political junkie. He's so into politics he wanted his senior photos taken in Washington, D.C. One of them was with U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth.
London's political hero is the late President Jimmy Carter. And he and his mother just drove down to Plains, Georgia, to pay their respects to the late president.
“My journey with politics began in 2016 with that election cycle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. From there, I started researching different politicians. Jimmy Carter stood out to me not as a politician, but as a human,” said Wollenweber. “We don't see it a lot in our politicians today, but he was just genuine with everybody.”
Wollenweber's desire to see Carter is not a new thing. Four years ago, he made his mother promise they would go to see Carter laying in state when Carter passed away.
"The work he did after the presidency showed he cared not only about the people in Plains, but the people around the world," said Wollenweber.
And so, they drove 12 hours to see Carter at the center named for him. Wollenweber said it seems everyone in Plains has a story about Jimmy Carter.
"He would just walk into people's houses and talk to them. A lady said he walked into her house and took a chair and said he would be back tomorrow and that it would be fixed," said Wollenweber.
London said they also ran into Carter's son, Chip, and talked with him outside Jimmy and Roselyn's first apartment. It was in public housing.
“He listened. He understood, and he took the time out of his crazy schedule, because he has all these funerals and things to attend to, just to listen to us,” said Wollenweber.
He said that graciousness appears to be a Carter family trait.
He said Carter's post-presidency work — in worldwide election monitoring, Habitat for Humanity, and trying to stamp out Guinea Worm Disease — is also an inspiration to do things for the public good.
“He just worked towards a better world, instead of a better America,” said Wollenweber.
He said the fact Carter came from nothing to become president resonates with him about his own beginnings.
"That's an American dream and he represents that. I hope someday that I am able to take what he did and do my own journey with politics," said Wollenweber.
Having a voice at the local, state, or national level, he thinks, is a privilege only few people get. It’s another way Carter’s influence will live on in America.
“Being able to listen to people's stories, know what they're going through, can help me in a way that I can decide what to vote on, what to bring up for votes. Public service to me is helping people. It's not like making money. It's not having a career in politics. I just want to help people and make their life a better place,” said Wollenweber.
