Thread by @BardiaBA

Some of you know that I came across @AndrewYang before he started his campaign. I want to share that story with you all -- hopefully it will emphasize why I am so passionate about not only his vision, but Andrew as a human being.

Please RT so more people can read this.

Yang has been my role model since 2017, when I watched the documentary about his non-profit @venture4america, called Generation Startup (I suggest you watch it). As a college entrepreneur, I saw what he was trying to do, and looking into his background, I was even more impressed.

This was a man with truly rare talents, who had sacrificed hefty paychecks to do work that he found fulfilling and rewarding for our respective societies. I admired that, and decided to connect with him via LinkedIn. He accepted. This was two months before he announced his run.

Back then, I was too nervous to address him. I wanted to learn from this person, but I didn't know how to approach it. At this time, I even had plans on applying for VfA. And then, out of nowhere, this announcement came up on my feed (give it a read):

linkedin.com/pulse/why-im-r…

I was mind-blown. Now he was running for president too!? This didn't only excite me; it highlighted an evident common thread. Andrew Yang does things, not for publicity, not for awards, and not for money. He does it, because he thinks it is right.

Going from zero name recognition to a mainstream candidate was going to be near impossible for him. That didn't stop him. He wanted to do his part, and it re-emphasized why I was looking up to this person in the first place. But, I was not going to support his candidacy blindly.

I read about his vision, and frankly... I was sold. This man had thought of everything, and for once, someone was backing their stances up with data. I had never seen anything like this in politics before. I needed this man to be heard. Finally, this propelled me to address him.

It was a very long message via LinkedIn, where I introduced myself and shared my views on his proposals. I didn't expect a response. I just wanted him to know that someone truly wanted him to keep going (this was when no one attended his events -- times were rough in Feb 2018).

Eventually, I saw that he started making progress. I saw video clips coming out. I saw NYT writing an article about him (all of them labeled him as longer-than-longshot; but it was something). I sent him another message to express my excitement about this. And, he GOT BACK TO ME:

Back then, he didn't even have a volunteering system set up, so I had to reach out to the Chief of Staff to get me started. Frankly, at this point, there were no reasons to stay optimistic about the future of the campaign. I still hoped he would keep going. Slowly, times changed.

He kept getting publicity, and his genuine personality seemed to be getting people's attention in every interaction. Eventually he got the big podcasts to cover him (Joe Rogan, Sam Harris etc.), and suddenly my circle wasn't the only one to know about him:

This was a full year after I had sent my first message to him. And around that time, he announced he was coming to MN, where I go to school. After more than a year of supporting, I finally met Andrew for the first and only time (thus far) in May 2019 (ofc I looked my roughest):

Even in person, he seemed so selfless. He did not leave until EVERYONE had gotten a picture with him, he answered every question with sincerity and honesty, and did not shy away from difficult ones. It was evident that he wasn't playing the political game. He just wanted to help.

It doesn't go unnoticed either; people see how goddamn sincere he is. This is not a man that ever wanted to run from president. This is a man who hates being away from his family, but is making sacrifices because he knows we can do more:

Back then, he had less than 5k followers on IG, and not that many more on Twitter. Now, #YangGang owns these networks, and is willing to do anything in its power to get him to the White House. This is the passion that arises from knowing that one can trust a man with one's life.

And now, almost two years after he announced his run, he is going to shock the world by doing well in Iowa. Through a grassroots campaign, that puts #HumanityFirst.

I hope I didn't bore you all with this. I was just hoping that you would see a common thread through my story.

The point of all of this, is that @AndrewYang's success never should have been possible. The obstacles in the way of this campaign have been countless, and there are plenty more to come. That will still be a thing. But, that has not stopped us before, and it will not stop us now.

#YangGang, when times are hard: don't get discouraged. Stay optimistic. Andrew Yang has, and we owe it to him, and ourselves, to stay persistent to the vision of a society that works for all of us. Better times lie ahead. We just have to keep working. Let's do it fam. ❤️