By Caroline Lovett and Helen Wilson
Features Editor and A/E Editor

The Brockenboroughs, Sophie, and her mother, Valerie, returned from their year in France in full swing. Their roles as County Commissioner (V. Brockenbrough) and President of Young Democrats at R.J. Reynolds High School (S. Brockenbrough)  await. As Valerie anxiously anticipates the upcoming election, Sophie is busy spreading the word.

“The commissioners, they do a lot for you,” V. Brockenbrough said, “What you need to be aware of is that they are responsible for building and maintaining schools in Forsyth County… thirty-two percent of the budget goes to public schools, a huge part of the budget. It’s about eighty million out of a five hundred and eighty-four million dollar budget. It’s important for you to know what [county commissioners] do and to know who’s running because they have a lot of power.”

While a lot of the county commissioners’ role is related to the public school system, they are also responsible for budgeting in other fields. 

“…One thing that is also important to me is the underfunding of the emergency service department,” V. Brockenbrough said,  “…When you call an ambulance, a fire truck comes first to your house…but most of the time, you also need an ambulance to be there. The wait time should be nine minutes, and currently, it takes twenty minutes. Nine minutes is the industry standard, and we should have forty ambulances in Forsyth County in total. Currently, we have twenty-nine, with three in order.”

Without a doubt, you have seen blue signs staked into the ground around Winston Salem, with “VALERIE” in bold letters. Being a French native, V. Broukenbrough feels strongly compelled to exercise the political power she had been granted. 

“I’ve been here [the United States] for thirty years, twenty in Winston Salem, ” V. Brockenbrough said. “I finally got my citizenship in 2006, I pay my taxes, and I feel like I want to be powerful. As an immigrant, I feel that it is my duty and a good thing for me to run and serve the county.”

Growing up in such an involved and passionate family, especially having a mom with an unwavering commitment to public service, Sophie, has sparked her interest in politics and democracy.

“My mom has always been the type to go to protest in public, peaceful protests and to be involved in the community,” S. Brockenbrough. “She kind of forces me to get involved and engaged, but it gets me realizing how these things need to be addressed. It’s positive growing up with a mom that cares about issues.”

Along with her involvement, Valerie hopes to encourage others to participate in civic activities.

“I think it’s important to vote, to make your voices heard,” V. Brockenbrough said. “People have died to have the right to vote, and it’s a responsibility, part of my civic mind.”

With the upcoming election, S. Brockenbrough has been particularly passionate about getting RJR students involved politically. 

“Our main goal is to keep people educated on politics and what it means to be a Democrat.” S. Brockenbrough said,  “[We want to help people] to stay up to date with what’s going on in the world.” 

The Young Democrats  club aims to educate students more about what it means to think critically about what is happening in the country. 

“There’s a lot of people that make claims, and they don’t know what they’re talking about,” S. Brockenbrough said, “So it’s just like the main thing is being able to actually have an argument at the dinner table.” 

The pair continue to make their mark on the RJR and Winston-Salem community. With the growth of the Young Democrats club at RJR and the continued campaign for county commissioner, these two are far from slowing down.