Cathrin Winsor, 18, a 2008 C.H. Yoe High School graduate, was selected as a finalist with four other candidates, for the Web site YouTube’s “Why Are You a Democrat in 2008?” video sharing contest.
Ms. Winsor’s video, using her site screen name “Catjwin,” was selected by the Democratic National Committee earlier this week as one of the top videos in the country, giving her a chance to go to the convention, which will be Aug. 25-28.
“I was definitely excited when I saw that my video was selected,” Ms. Winsor said on Friday. “It would be a really amazing experience if I were to be selected as the winner and got a chance to spend time with party officials, and the press.”
If Ms. Winsor’s video wins, she’ll also get a chance to spend a day with the press corps during the convention.
The video features a young boy, in a position she describes as being similar to many Americans.
In the video, the boy is seen at work, where he is laid off. On the way home from his former job (with his office belongings), the boy walks out to his truck, which has an empty gas tank. He then walks to the gas station, but the station is out of business. The boy then hitchhikes home, where he finds a letter saying his house has been foreclosed on. To top things off, there is a letter in the mail saying that he has been drafted.
“I really didn’t expect it to get this far,” Ms. Winsor said. “I think the day before I actually filmed the video, I received the permission of the boy’s parents.”
Ms. Winsor said she spent about an hour before she filmed the video preparing a script and coming up with ideas, then spent an hour filming it, editing it, and posting it on the Web site on July 25.
“I wanted to make a point pertaining to the issues I think are the most important to people, especially young people,” she said. “I wanted to bring up the failing economy, foreclosures and the war (in Iraq).
“I wanted people to imagine what it would be like to see a young person dealing with all of those issues,” she said. “It’s an exaggeration because it’s just a kid, but the issues are all real.”
Ms. Winsor said she found out she had been selected when she received a legal document from the DNC, sent to verify her age. After Ms. Winsor returned the document, she saw her video posted on the file-sharing site, for millions of people to see.
“It was pretty neat,” she said. “After I saw it, I immediately began to send out e-mails with links, so I could let people know to vote for me.”
Friday afternoon, the video had more than 40 comments on its page.
“I originally viewed the video through an e-mail,” said attorney Craig Brown of Cameron, who works with Ms. Winsor at Cappolino, Dodd and Krebs. “I thought it was great.”
He said the video hits a number of issues right on the head.
“I think it’s incredible that we have a teenager here in Cameron, who was selected among millions of users on a (Web site) for something she did. That’s really impressive,” he said. “I hope more people hear about it and vote for her.”
Contest voting ends Wednesday. To view Ms. Winsor’s video, visit www.youtube.com/user/DemConvention.
Ms. Winsor will attend Southwestern University in Georgetown this fall on theater and academic scholarships. She is the daughter of Tia Rae and Richard Stone of Cameron and John and Becky Winsor of Temple. Tia Rae Stone is editor of the Telegram’s feature sections.
