Before Sept. 12, Anya Yakhedts wasn’t a citizen — anywhere.
A political refugee from Belarus, the Weinberg sophomore became an American citizen just in time to vote in November’s presidential election.
Like many other international students at Northwestern, Yakhedts has a unique perspective on world politics.
“I think I have a different outlook because I’m more open to other political systems,” she said. “I’m more open-minded because I know how other countries work. I’m kind of a free-floater — a citizen of the world.”
Yakhedts, who moved to the Chicago area with her family in 1990 after the Soviet Union collapsed, said she looks forward to voting next month.
But she said American youths are more apathetic than their European peers.
“The youth that I’m friends with from Russia and other European countries are really into politics,” she said. “(American youth) don’t feel they have a say in the government.
“They think they can’t control how the country should be run,” Yakhedts said. “They think their vote won’t matter. It has to go through so many steps to get to the top, their say gets lost along the way.”
Weinberg sophomore Jeremy Erlich, a French citizen, said his friends from home vote despite their laid-back attitude.
“They don’t care that much in France,” Erlich said. “But they still vote. Most of my friends vote because they want to contribute to society.
“People here take everything too seriously,” he said. “No matter who is president, all the same things are going to happen. In France we’re like, ‘Yeah, he made us win the World Cup, so we’ll vote for him.'”
Chloé Wachter, a French, British and American citizen, said the difference lies in different citizens’ attitudes toward politics.
“Americans are very concentrated on work,” the Weinberg junior said. “They work hard for their living and want to succeed. Europeans are more concentrated on leisure. It’s more laid back. It’s two different worlds.”
While many international students remain politically active in their native countries, they also say they want to be informed about American politics.
“I’m very interested in knowing more about the upcoming election here,” said Helen Chu, a Weinberg sophomore and citizen of Hong Kong. “I watched two of the presidential debates with residents in my dorm, and we had a discussion afterward.”
But Chu said she’ll wait until November to decide whether American kids are apathetic.
“I think the college has done a pretty good job encouraging people to register to become a voter,” said Chu, who voted for the first time in Hong Kong this summer. “I know people who are apathetic and some who are not, so it’s hard to make a conclusion.”
Matthias Ruebsamen, who has dual citizenship in Germany and the United States, said he decided to attend college in America because he wants to be a good citizen of both countries.
“I hear about politicians in the United States and I evaluate them rather objectively, but I’m lacking insight right now,” Ruebsamen said. “I haven’t been here long enough to really know what they stand for.”
Although he has lived in Germany all his life, Ruebsamen has dual citizenship because his mother is American.
“Being an American citizen made me want to be a part of this country,” he said. “I want to be a true citizen of both countries.”
He said German youth are taught not to take their right to vote for granted.
“The educational system does a good job of conveying the message that politics is important,” he said. “You are made aware of the fact that the right to vote is a very important right — it is something that people are still fighting for.
“It’s not something to be considered given just because it’s there,” he said. “You should consider it a very precious thing. I don’t know if that’s a point of view that everyone shares.”
