Engaging with joy. When I met Alexander Murkison in person, engaging with joy was my first impression and, upon reflection, a lasting one. Like many in our community, I first learned who Alexander was when he ran for a seat on the Lompoc School Board as a recent high school graduate with a mental health platform. I quickly learned what Alexander may have lacked in life experience for the position; he made up for with his energy, compassion, ability to look at things differently, and courage to address issues that are important to him but are not always as readily accepted by society.

Born and raised in Lompoc, Alexander has grown to love this community and wants only the best for it; one of the reasons he initially ran for the school board seat and has subsequently found himself serving on the FSA board and the leadership team for CAHOOTS. He shares with me how his Aunt Andrea demonstrated to him through the years how one can be hardworking, independent, and straightforward, yet be a caring and generous person with others, with no drama needed. It is her example that he credits with helping him become the independent and successful young person he is today. Another person who was instrumental in Alexander finding himself serving with community organizations and at the Alpha Resource Center in Santa Barbara is Charis Adams. “She saw some potential in me that I didn’t see myself and helped me rise and grow in my professional life,” he states, allowing him to work in the nonprofit world, no experience needed.

With his easy conversation full of insight and passion, Alexander told me how he was prompted to seek the school board position after a high school classmate had died. The tragedy highlighted to him on a personal level the lack of resources in our community and schools for mental health and support. Additionally, as the high school student representative to the School Board, he saw data showing his experience was not unique. He also realized only the ‘positive’ was being communicated from the schools to the school board, and vice versa. Things such as counselor-to-student ratios or the lack of other resources were never addressed. Alexander decided to enter the political arena due to the awareness of these issues and wishing to bring about change for the youth in our community.

As with many things in life, it is often when we are unable to attain what we think we want; we find ourselves on a path we hadn’t imagined possible. A path that is ultimately more fulfilling and fits who we are better. Alexander experienced this after not winning a seat on the LUSD School Board. He shares how the experience was humbling, but he was able to ground himself and reassess the direction he had taken, realizing politics were not the avenue he wished to follow. With this acknowledgment and acceptance of the situation, he could move forward, finding many more doors of opportunity opening for him to explore. Alexander states, “I learned the Lompoc School Board and community wasn’t ready for my ideas nor to move in the direction I wished our community would, but that didn’t mean I was wrong in my goals. It was a matter of finding ways to still make the difference in the areas I wished.”

During our conversation, Alexander disclosed he has many inspirational and supporting people in his life. Still, he narrowed his expansive list down to four main ones at this time. Lana’ Huyck, his counselor at Lompoc High School, “my rock, foundation, and supporter for what I have tried to accomplish,” Alexander describes. She was also the person who helped him assess what he truly wanted for his life, encouraging him to take breaks for himself and leading him to understand that to make a difference for others, you need to take care of yourself. “You can be the change-maker, but you need to make the changes in yourself first,” he asserts as a truth he holds close. Then there is his grandmother, someone he has been very close to most of his life and is currently providing him with a home and support system so that he can finish his educational goals. “She is one of my biggest supporters. I know I can always turn to her if I need help or if things start getting rocky,” he shares. Ashley Costa is another person he mentions, inspired by her accomplishments and the respect she receives in so many spaces as a young person. And, of course, his Aunt Andrea, who helped Alexander become the person he is today.

Alexander demonstrates that neither life experience nor age matter when being able to make a difference, but it does take work and compassion. I am grateful for who Alexander is, and that he is a part of our community. And like him, I will choose to remember when one door closes, often many more open if you are willing to look in another direction.

Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say; This is my community and it’s my responsibility to make it better.

~Tom McCall~