Kody Hendricks, a junior, was always told to follow his dreams and to pursue a career that he would have a passionate love for. His grandfather was a criminal defense attorney, which began his love for politics and criminology.
“I wanted to follow my grandpa’s footsteps as a criminal justice lawyer,” Kody said. In those moments of getting advice from his grandfather, he knew the path he would take. Kody always keeps up with the day to day news or events, utilizing that in conversations he had in speech and debate.
Considering political or nationwide events are always happening, Kody takes interest in learning about them or understanding what we can learn from them. Kody believes that two important events really shaped our nation and proved that the U.S. is not as strong as we all thought it to be.
“9/11 and Pearl Harbor because those are both reality checks that we are not as invincible anymore and we’re not on the high horse as well. We’re vulnerable,” he says. Not only did it shape our nation as a whole, but it shaped how Kody sees the U.S too.
Kody considers himself a moderate republican because he agrees more with economic policies rather than social policies. But if someone has a different view or opinion, he will listen and think about how he can change his views.
“I’m open to new opinions, new ideologies because if it’s better than mine, I will adapt to it,” Kody said. He believes that changing current outlook on certain topics will help keep the world at peace and keep politics easier to talk about. Kody practices listening to others while in speech and debate, which keeps him thinking about new ideas or viewpoints.
With time, he has realized he would rather pursue politics on the side and focus on becoming an arson investigator. Kody plans to take this path because it involves criminology and being a detective.
“As much as I am interested in politics, my friends and my mother said I’m too honest to go into politics,” Kody said. “I’m actually going into the arson field in the fire department.”
A lot has influenced Kody to see politics as a good thing because it revolves around our world, but to also find the learning aspects from it.
Listening to his grandfather’s advice, Kody knew he would utilize both criminology and politics in the career he chooses. He is now working on becoming an arson investigator and will someday help find the real criminals.
Samantha Perez Robinson