I live in Round Rock, Texas. Outside of Texas, I like to say that I’m from Austin, which is only minutes away, but to be honest, Round Rock and Austin are worlds apart. Round Rock is small suburban town that looks nothing like its big-city counterpart. Round Rock is quiet, whereas Austin is said to be the live music capital of the world. While Austin is part of one of Texas’ few liberal counties, Round Rock belongs to Williamson County, a strongly conservative district where constituents have voted red for the past 30 years.

This morning, however, I saw a different side to my city. Walking into the main plaza of downtown Round Rock, I was delighted to see the overwhelming support of the community, as people arrived in droves to attend our local “March for Our Lives” protest.

A few weeks ago, when Ms. Jen Bush, a parent at Meridian World School, approached the school with the possibility of organizing a local protest for Williamson County, many students, myself included, were very interested in playing a part.

In the days leading up to the march, I thought of the rally in Austin, the largest March for Our Lives event in Texas. It seemed tempting to be amidst thousands of protesters from across the state. However, I realized that organizing and attending a march in our small, conservative town was a service to the community. Round Rock needed the march more than anything.

As one of the three students speaking at the march, I took time to prepare my remarks. What I did not anticipate was the sheer masses that would come together to support the cause. I was pleasantly surprised to see the 1,000 plus people assembled to protest for such an important cause.

March for Our Lives at Round Rock left me empowered and inspired, and I was proud to see families and young people come together to push for change and address an issue that American politicians have done nothing for. The event was complete with political organizations, a voter registration table, and information booths. Now, it is my hope that people will go out and vote in the fall, and that everyone who attended will recognize their responsibilities as citizens.