Student Spotlight - Jillian Cunningham

As a student at the super liberal alma mater of left-wing women like Hillary Clinton and Madeline Albright, Wellesley College, Jillian Cunningham is constantly exposed to the closed-mindedness of the Left when it comes to conservatives perspectives.

However, she hasn’t allowed her peers’ lack of tolerance stop her from being outspoken for her ideas. We talked to Jillian and found out about her start as a conservative activist and her tactic for reaching her peers with conservative ideas.

Luce: How did you become a conservative?

Jillian: Both of my parents are conservative, so I was definitely raised in a conservative household, but neither of my parents forced their politics on me. Rather, I remember learning about the American political party system in elementary school, and thinking that the Republican party’s principles and views made a lot more sense to me than those of the Democrats. I thought, “No one likes paying taxes. If we make the government larger like the Democratic party wants to, won’t we have to pay even more taxes?” Since then, I have approached my political beliefs in a logical fashion, and 99% of the time, conservative policies are the ones that simply make sense to me.

Luce: As a conservative, what challenges do you face at your school?

Jillian: I think that the biggest challenge I face as a conservative at Wellesley College is that everyone assumes that everyone else on campus is a liberal. Just the other day, I overheard someone commenting about a conservative viewpoint, saying “well, that is important to learn about, because you’ll encounter those people outside of Wellesley.” I am especially disgusted by this sense of smug superiority amongst some of the more liberal students – those who believe that anyone who is a conservative is automatically less intelligent then they are, and conservatives simply need to be enlightened. The hypocritical closed-mindedness of those who profess to be so open-minded to different perspectives never ceases to amaze me (and I challenge anyone to question my intelligence!).

Luce: What is your most memorable activist experience?

Jillian: In the months leading up to the 2008 Presidential election, the WCR and I organized a handful of trips up to New Hampshire to campaign for John McCain and Sarah Palin. Being a part of the grassroots effort to get McCain elected was an enlightening and powerful experience. I felt as if I was making my vote really count by going door to door, reminding people to vote and asking them to vote for McCain. Generally speaking, people were respectful (with a few exceptions, of course), and were impressed that college students were taking such an active role in the democratic process. Perhaps most exciting of all of these campaign trips was when we had a New York Times reporter come along with us on a door-to-door polling drive, resulting in a national news story!

Luce: Tell us about your experience with hosting a Luce campus lecture

Jillian: One of the ways that the Wellesley College Republicans remind the rest of the campus that we exist is to hold lectures with conservative speakers. The Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute has been incredibly instrumental in helping us to bring amazing conservative women to our campus. In Spring 2009 we hosted Michelle Malkin, Fall 2009 hosted Bay Buchanan, and are very excited to have S.E. Cupp give a lecture this spring. The Malkin lecture caused quite a stir among those who had not actually read her book or columns, as they relied on sound bites taken out of context to question why we chose to bring her. It was especially gratifying to hear the reactions from students who actually attended the lecture – they agreed with some of what she said, and were therefore amazed that a conservative could make a good argument. Our philosophy in the WCR is not that we’re trying to change people’s minds (although that would be nice), but we DO want to at least expose our fellow students to a different point of view; isn’t that what the intellectual community of college is about? For me, the best part of these lectures is the direct interaction that I am able to have with such influential conservative women, hearing stories about their career successes and adventures over dinner and then listening to what they wish to impart to the larger Wellesley College community.

Luce: Who is your favorite conservative woman leader and why?

Jillian: Condoleezza Rice is one of my favorite conservative women leaders because she is a force to be reckoned with, and yet, always conducts herself with class and poise. I am also inspired by her continued commitment to education; not only is she incredibly well educated, she has been a professor of political science at Stanford University since 1981 and remains committed to academia as a fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. I firmly believe that success is grounded in a good education, and Secretary Rice obviously shares my philosophy. In a similar vein, I must also say that I love Laura Bush because she made reading her focus during her time in the White House, and reading is the key to knowledge.

Luce: What advice would you give other conservative students?

Jillian: Although every campus is different, I have found that the best way to combat hostility towards conservative ideas is to be a positive presence on campus. I’ve had so many people tell me, “you’re the nicest Republican I know.” Honestly, I may be the ONLY Republican that they know, but I might as well give them a good impression of conservative women. I have found that people are less willing to blindly criticize my beliefs if they know me personally. Opening a dialogue is the key to civil discourse, which always works in a conservative’s favor! It is also important to recognize that some people are simply closed-minded and will never listen to you, and that is ok. Stick with people who respect you and those who share similar beliefs, and ignore those who have nothing good to say. Life is too short!

Luce: Where do you hope to be in 10 years?

Jillian: I hope to be a practicing physician, likely in a surgical specialty that focuses on health issues affecting women. I feel drawn towards helping improve healthcare for women, perhaps because of my experience at an all women’s college. Ultimately, it would be fantastic to somehow blend my medical career with my love of politics, so we’ll see what the future holds! What a time to be going into medicine, huh?

"I may be the ONLY [conservative] that [my peers] know, but I might as well give them a good impression of conservative women."