From UNC Young Democrats to the Josh Stein campaign, how Sloan Duvall juggles it all

When Sloan Duvall was 14 years old, she accompanied her mom to the polls to vote for Hillary Clinton, her role model, in the 2016 Presidential Election. A few weeks ago, that same childhood hero asked her what she was going to do next.

"I got out about two sentences before I started crying," Duvall said. "I just got to thank her for all that she's done for people like me and for women across America."

Coming from a family where civic engagement was important, there were few things more vital than being involved in the community. Duvall remembers going to the polls with her mother and grandmother when she was little, helping out by filling in the bubble next to her mother's choice or pulling the lever on the voting machine for the ballot to be tallied. 

Her involvement didn’t stop there. From giving speeches on college campuses for major political campaigns, including the Harris-Walz ticket, to working on social media outreach for the 2024 elections, Duvall rarely has a free moment where she isn’t practicing politics. 

“I’m the type of person that thrives when I have a lot on my plate,” Duvall said. “I like when I have a full schedule, I like when I’m busy, and that makes me the most productive.”

As the president of UNC Young Democrats, Duvall has dedicated countless hours of time and effort to educate young people about democracy. She has overseen campus outreach for the 2024 general election to ensure that students are educated and registered to vote, while also developing the Young Democrats' social media presence to connect with over 20,000 followers on TikTok.

Cecilia Derlon, the vice president of UNC Young Democrats, has been friends with Duvall since they both joined the club during their first year. She sees Duvall as a determined leader who has taken charge of the club since being elected president in December 2023, saying she thinks Duvall's impact has forever transformed the organization.

“I can honestly, wholeheartedly say that Sloan had a vision for Young Dems that I don’t think a lot of other people would have been able to develop so efficiently and so amazingly,” Derlon said. 

Chapel Hill Mayor Jessica Anderson met Duvall a few years ago and said she has always admired her work ethic and outgoing personality. She said she thinks Duvall inspires other young people to get involved through her optimism and unwavering beliefs. 

“She gives other people and other women in her organization opportunities to lead, too, which is wise beyond her years,” Anderson said. “It just shows, kind of, who she is as a person.”

Along with being involved on campus, Duvall has worked alongside candidates whose priorities align with her personal views and beliefs. She interned for U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)in 2022 while she lived in Connecticut, but her most recent work has been with Attorney General — now Gov.-elect — Josh Stein.

Duvall started as a research intern for the campaign in the summer of 2023 and became an operations intern in 2024. She’s also the chair of Students for Stein and has traveled across North Carolina to talk to young voters on college campuses and inform them about the election’s most prominent topics. 

“She is one of several young leaders whose perspective on the priorities of young voters have been critical to the team’s work to reach every voter,” Morgan Hopkins, press secretary for Josh Stein for North Carolina, wrote in an email statement to The Daily Tar Heel.

Through her experiences, Duvall said she has drawn on the lessons she has learned from the leaders she has worked with, and they have shaped her vision of how she can embody leadership for herself. She isn't sure if she wants to run for office herself — although Anderson hopes she does — but Duvall knows that whatever comes next, she'll keep using her strengths to help people. 

“I really have tried my hardest to set an example for, specifically, young women at UNC, and in North Carolina, that you can be proud of standing up for your rights and freedoms, you can be proud of standing up for what women in this country deserve and you shouldn’t be shy about it,” Duvall said.

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