TORRINGTON – The year 2020 did not go as planned for Joseph Randolph, thanks to COVID-19. 

After graduating from Torrington High School, the 19-year-old was supposed to spend the summer in Peru. The trip was canceled. He started his first semester at Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) in the fall, ready to spend his days on campus, face-to-face with professors and classmates. To his frustration, classes have primarily been held online, via Zoom. 

Instead of complaining about the situation, Randolph decided he wanted to try to do something about it. He attended a regular Tuesday morning meeting of the Goshen County Commissioners, not only to address them about petitioning EWC to hold classes in-person instead of online but also to watch democracy in action. 

That’s where it started. Now, months later, Randolph sits on the county planning commission as its youngest member. 

“I got involved to learn what our system has and the way it operates, to start a career on that pathway if the doors open up and to serve the community and make a real difference, versus taking a sideline approach,” Randolph said. 

Randolph is technically in his first year at EWC, but he said he has enough credits from concurrent enrollment at THS to make him a sophomore in terms of credit hours. He majors in interdisciplinary studies with foci in business and political science.

“Which is basically a fancy term for ‘I don’t know,’” he said with a laugh.

On top of his regular studies, Randolph is reading the lengthy 500 plus page book of regulations as he prepares for monthly planning commission meetings. In his eight years as Goshen County Planner, Gary Childs said he’s never seen someone as young as Randolph interested in being involved with local government.

“It’s great that a person of his age wants to be involved in local government,” Childs said. “[The planning commission] is a great spot to come in and learn about how some things work.”

Randolph also worked as an election judge during the 2020 Presidential election last November. These volunteers are on average 65 and older, according to Goshen County Clerk Cindy Kenyon, though the make-up changed a bit this past election cycle due to COVID-19 primarily putting older Goshen County residents at risk of illness. 

“All the different steps it takes to accomplish something, whether it be on the planning commission, approving a plat or as an election judge, the steps that are taken to have safe and secure elections, I see them as a great learning process for younger people to become involved so they know those processes,” Kenyon said. “And when they’re ready to dedicate themselves to government, then they have a head start.”

Randolph’s term on the planning commission is one year, an ideal amount of time, he said, as he still has “a lot of places to go.”

His plan is to register for classes at the University of Wyoming once he completes his two years at EWC, but he’s still unsure what he wants to major in. It’s uncertain whether running for elected office is in Randolph’s future, but he doesn’t rule it out. 

For now, Randolph will continue to bring a student’s perspective to local government meetings that most people opt to sit out.

“Younger people need to be getting involved because if it’s just the older people, the younger generation’s voices aren’t really heard,” Randolph said. “There’s definitely something to be said about the younger generation taking up the mantle.”