I enlisted into the Army National Guard before my senior year, I will be attending college in Spring 2019. Once I graduate from an university, I want to run for political office. As a Citizen-Soldier, is there anything I need to do before I can do that?

I have no idea

The best thing to do is to call the JAG (Judge Advocate General) in your state. Most JAG officers are easy to talk to but may refer you to another officer who specializes in the area of law you are asking about.

I have never experienced this but i would suggest speaking with a mentor first to get info from someone with experince. Maybe if your school have a program for people who are entering the airforce you could ask them for advice.

Hello Miguel - thank you for your service to our country. I am grateful that you are willing to serve to protect us all and our freedoms. I'm also thrilled to hear that you are coming back to go to school and that you want to continue your service to the community. It's refreshing to hear and know that you plan to continue to serve.

As a current elected official (I am the Mayor Pro Tem of Cary, NC) I have to admit that I didn't always know that I wanted to run for political office. My entry into being a Public Servant was as my Homeowner's Association president, then on my local Planning and Zoning Board. I was a citizen volunteer, trying to make things better in my neighborhood.

My first suggestion to you would be to get involved, locally.

• Whether it's on your university's campus, in your city (think local volunteering, trash pickup, or zoning or arts board) and/or getting involved with your political party's organization. (If you subscribe to one.) Knowing more about your community, the issues, challenges and opportunities that it faces will help you understand the key question that is asked of a potential candidate - "Why are you running?" Unless you can answer THAT question, I would tell you to wait. And sometimes, there is a great deal of work to be done to be able to ANSWER that question.

Look for opportunities to work on someone's campaign.

• One of the best ways to learn is by doing. Connect with an elected official, or someone that is planning to run for office, or is currently running, that you support. Volunteer to work on their campaign in any capacity. It might be putting up signs, walking door to door, or calling potential supporters on the phone. That experience is not only worthwhile to the candidate, but it will give you valuable insight both into the process and the ability to see what the candidate does and how they respond.

Learn, however is best for you.

• There are many programs out there that teach you how to run for office. From creating a campaign plan, to how to speak publicly and how to tell your story. Many of these programs are offered by the political parties. Check them out! Taking those classes will also help you to create a coalition of people that support YOU and will help you when it's your time to run.
• Make sure that you think about what you want to be and do while at College. Maybe you are like me, and a technology geek - and you want to make sure that those that build policy use technology to help with public good? Or maybe you are an environmentalist, and interested in public policy and green initiatives? If so, you want to make sure that you are knowledgeable about those areas, and can speak from a place of authority - and taking those classes, or getting a degree in that field will give you the credentials you need, and that so many others will value.

Good luck!