Aerospace engineer Niraj Mehta went to a low-achieving high school when he was a teenager living in Lawndale, Calif. His experiences as a student living in a lower to middle-income neighborhood have inspired him to become an ardent supporter of educational reform in order to provide greater equality of opportunities for future generations of youth.

“When I went to high school in Lawndale, we only had two AP classes because we begged for them," Mehta said. "My parents were immigrants and we couldn’t afford to live in nicer neighborhoods where I could go to higher ranked schools like in Palos Verdes or Brentwood."

Mehta joined more than 20 volunteers at a Redondo Beach phone bank event on Sept. 10 at the home of Democrat Judy Bonne-Smith. Volunteers worked diligently to reach out to registered Democrats in Nevada and other swing states, reminding them to vote to re-elect President Barack Obama this November.

Mehta said Obama is taking steps to advance public education and equal opportunities for students, so he decided to volunteer on the re-election campaign to make sure public schools continue to change for the better. 

“It’s so important that students’ success doesn’t depend on their zip codes," he said. "I’ve been a fan of President Obama since the primaries in 2008 and I think he’s doing the best he can for our country’s youth. I like that he believes in providing the ladder for people to work up through the ranks."

Mehta is also compelled to vote to re-elect Obama this fall as he considers Obama to be more relatable than Mitt Romney.

“He’s mixed race and I’m of mixed cultures, as I grew up in an Indian family in America. I think Obama has respect for people of all walks of life. His principles align with mine in that way. I only wish I could relate to Romney financially,” Mehta joked.

L.A. Unified School District teacher Lynn Thompson volunteered at the phone bank. She said she was chiefly concerned with the future of the nation's health care system.

“Because I’m a teacher, I am so lucky to have medical benefits," Thompson said. "I want Obama to keep Medicare going like it’s going. His plan takes it eight years further than it is now. I’m thinking not only of myself but also of friends who could use better medical care."

Thompson also said that former president Clinton was spot-on at the Democratic National Convention when he said that no president could have done any more than what Obama has done for the country.

“He has done everything in his power during the last three and a half years to help improve our country. It does take a village and he is of that thinking. I think he really cares about the well-being of Americans,” Thompson said.

Although Thompson said she wished Obama had already ended the war in Afghanistan and closed Guantanamo Bay prison like he planned, she is hopeful that he will follow through with these promises if re-elected.

“I think he’s doing the best he can considering he is having trouble carrying out his plans while working with the Republicans in Congress."

 

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage on the 2012 election here.

Reach Staff Reporter Sarah Zahedi here, follow her on Twitter here.