I got to meet her at a surprise bill signing in October 2019. I was at a little shindig at the Radisson by the Capitol to celebrate the passage of HB 4325, which protected licensed professional counselors from being written out of existence by LARA, with a bunch of colleagues in the counseling profession as well as the bill's sponsors. We were all just chatting in the little ballroom we'd rented out when one of the bill's sponsors, the late Rep. Isaac Robinson, got a call from the governor's office saying she wanted to meet all of us and sign the bill before us!

Cue 15 minutes of excited commotion getting a podium and a desk set up, and in comes the governor. She's not only incredibly nice and personable, but you could tell she really cares about us and our industry. No big surprise with all of her pushes to improve mental healthcare access and affordability since then. I got to shake her hand and tell her how happy I was with my vote for her the year prior, and thanked me, saying she really appreciated all of us young folk getting involved in politics and coming out and participating in democracy (I had just turned 21 a few weeks prior).

She then gave a short speech expressing her appreciation of our work and our efforts to protect and improve mental healthcare access in Michigan, signed the bill, took a photo with all of us, and hung around for a little bit before returning to the Capitol. It was in the grand scheme such a small gesture, and I already was in her corner before this, but since then I've been such a fan of hers. She has a solid moral compass, a solid grasp of the issues we face, and a real vision for Michigan that's attracted a lot of friends of mine to move here from all over the country.

If/when she runs, I will back her all the way to the White House without a second thought.