Meet the students: William Deaton
by Vicki Heisser |
Few people can say they have had a chance to work inside the U.S Capitol and be on the Senate floor, hearing senators debate many issues. But for Cordova resident and dual enrollment student William Deaton, this was a reality. During his junior year of high school, for over five months Deaton served as a Page for the United States Senate. An ambitious person, Deaton applied for a page position and was surprised when one of Senator Murkowski’s staffers emailed him, letting him know he’d been accepted to the program.
As a child, Deaton grew up in Oklahoma and attended Christian Heritage Academy. In fourth grade, his parents decided to homeschool him. As Deaton entered his middle school years, he became interested in politics. He started attending religious-based political conferences with his family, where he began to see it as his Christian duty to be involved in politics. He connected his born-again Christian religious faith with his political philosophy and has been ardently pursuing his interest in politics ever since. Now a senior in high school, Deaton has, as he puts it, “launched into the Republican Party.” He’s been very active in helping to shape the party in Cordova.
Deaton explains, “I reorganized the Cordova Republican Party because it is important for conservatives to have an organization, in their community, through which they can organize and advocate for conservative causes.” Deaton wasted no time working with the party and getting things moving in Cordova. “At our first meeting, we passed four resolutions. I took those to the district convention, where two of those passed. Those two are now going to the state convention, where Cordovans will support the Alaska Marine Highway System and call for an end to the binding-caucus rule.”
While he pursues impacting Cordova and the state of Alaska, Deaton is also pursuing higher education while still in high school. Deaton shares, “Dual-enrollment in high school is a great way to save money and get a head start on what college will be like. I am so thankful for the dual enrollment courses that PWSC has offered in Cordova. They have helped to further my education and grow my interest in foreign languages and cultures.” As a dual enrollment student, he is currently taking Spanish II through PWSC. “For quite a while I have wanted to learn a foreign language. Spanish opens the door to speaking with people across the globe, because it is one of the most common languages in the world.”
Opening doors and having conversations are very important to Deaton. As someone who is an avid reader, who wants to learn and engage in debates, he knows the importance of lively but respectful discussions. “We can have our opinions, disagree admirably, and go to the local cafe to get a coffee together. Friendships do not have to be divided based on partisanship… When we think about where we are as a nation today, we need to remember where we came from. We need to remember that moment of unity.”
As Deaton prepares to graduate high school, he wants to continue to pursue his passion for politics.
“I have a few plans after high school. I look forward to attending a university, where I will study either economics, public policy, or business management. With my interest in politics, I need to understand the budget process and what helps and harms an economy’s growth. Since this is such a big deal in Alaska, at the moment, I am actively studying the Permanent Fund’s history and why it is so contentious today.”
Deaton is ready and eager to begin his life as a college student where he can, as he puts it, “grow as an individual.” He sees college as an investment in himself, a chance to meet new people, make new friends, and further develop and determine his own role in society.