He doesn't even want to be a politician. This is someone who simply wants to be involved in the democracy that makes this society tick and have a hand in creating the rules within society that affect him. Education about the government has also been a factor in his political persistence. I can learn the basic structure through my classes, but I learn first hand through my work. As a member of a generation known for its apathy toward politics, Mercy says he has faced times of pessimism during his work, but overall the positive experiences have outweighed the negative ones.
Politicians are a lot like lawyers - the whole lot gets a bad reputation because of a few people.
The student voice could be very strong, but the bottom line is voting. In addition to Mercy's advise to all students to get involved in politics, there is one other item that resonates throughout his entire experience. More than anything, what people need to grasp is something that people on all sides of the system often don't understand - that good people, no matter what their affiliation, can disagree. Greens Becky Thistlethwaite's history of political involvement doesn't differ greatly from that of Andrew Mercy - despite her drastically different political association. After discovering her political interests in high school, she has kept herself updated on politics.