Balancing school and political posts might sound like a lot, but for junior Nick Hickman, it is just another part of the day. As the Digital Associate and Social Media Manager for the Oklahoma Democratic Party, Hickman is using his passion to make a difference.
Hickman has always had a passion for media. At a young age he enjoyed taking photos and videos on his iPod.
“I asked myself, ‘how do I turn it into something productive that leads to a better society?’” Hickman said. “Eventually, I came to realize, I knew how to put together videos, tell stories in a way that was creatively fun and how to make that into something that was politically active.”
Landing a job with a political party might seem impossible for a high school student, but for Hickman, all it took was an unintentional video on Twitter.
“I got two jobs with cold emails,” Hickman said. “I got a job with the ‘Biden for President’ group; I worked on Biden’s 2024 reelect campaign before it disbanded. That was just because I had posted a video on Twitter, and someone that works for that team saw it, DM’d me and offered me a job.”
After the disbandment of the reelect campaign, Hickman sent a cold email to the Oklahoma Democratic Party’s Executive Director, Lauren Craig, and got the job.
“I don’t think that many people realize that there’s not many people that want to do what we do,” Hickman said. “It’s a thankless job, and you don’t get paid that well, so if you’re willing to put yourself out there, then there’s going to be someone that’s receptive to that.”
Typical responsibilities for Hickman include the Rapid Response Program – reacting to events in real time – and assisting in marketing efforts to inform and promote upcoming events.
“There’s not very many of us in our office, so it’s kind of like we all wear a 1,000 hats,” Hickman said. “ Every day we meet with our communications director, Amelia, so I work with her on the broader goals, but I do a lot of it just on my own.”
Despite the challenges of the job, Hickman said the experiences are rewarding.
“It’s really cool to go out and meet with people and be part of the change you want to see in the world,” Hickman said. “People always say, ‘be the change,’ but when you can actually meet others and try to change minds, that’s really powerful.”
