What happens when two friends finally decide to discuss the one topic they’ve always avoided: politics?
Alondra Rivas-Jimenez, 20, and Bailey Newcomb, 21, met in the spring of 2024 while interning at an advertising agency. Since then, they’ve built a friendship through shared classes, student organizations, and swapping family stories.
However, one topic Newcomb said they never spoke about was politics.
Jimenez acknowledges there’s no question about which party she belongs to.
“I'm registered as a Democrat, I always vote Democrat, and that's something I always knew,” Jimenez said. “My parents, they don't have the luxury to be able to vote, but they are politically informed, and that was something that was always in my house that was like, ‘Oh, when you're able to vote, you're voting democratic, regardless of who it is.”
Newcomb identifies as an independent, adopting both conservative and liberal-leaning values.
“I think that at my core, I'm still trying to learn who I am. I feel like that's why I categorize myself as an independent, because I can see so many different views,” Newcomb said.
Newcomb said she was often placed into a stereotypical box based on her affiliation with the Panhellenic sorority at UCF.
“I remember when we met, I was like, ‘Oh my God, you're a sorority girl. I know what that means because of all the stereotypes, but you're way nicer,” Jimenez said.
Newcomb said she avoids making those kinds of assumptions about others, especially when it comes to politics.
“When I was voting for the last election, two of my best friends are very one way, and I was telling them how I wasn't sure how I was going to vote or even if I was going to vote, because I didn't really love either party,” Newcomb said. “I've always kind of struggled with that, but they were like, if you're going to vote for this person, you shouldn't even vote at all. I feel like they come from their families and they trust their families, which is very understanding, like I trust my family as well.”
“I really like your perspective, because even before you mentioned how your friends stick to their family views, I like that your individualism really shines through, regardless of the labels or the politics attached to yourself,” Jimenez said.
Meet Alondra Rivas-Jimenez
Jimenez is a first-generation college student and a senior studying communications at the University of Central Florida. She said she grew up religious but is now agnostic and no longer involved in church.
She said her parents were a strong political influence, shaping what she described as her “strong-headed” political opinions.
“I do want to have that side of me that is empathetic to understanding people's differences, but I think a big part of that for me is also the boundary with where that is,” Jimenez said.
She said she often worries about being perceived the wrong way, no matter the topic. That feeling extends well beyond politics. Her example: Taylor Swift’s new album, Life of a Showgirl.
“The new Taylor Swift album, there's a lot of conversation going on. I don't even want to say if I have or haven’t (listened) because of the way people perceive me and all those connotations surrounding it,” she said. “I'm afraid of saying anything because of how other people are going to interpret it.”
One issue she said she’s passionate about is immigration, something she said feels personal to her and her community.
“I care deeply, like in my body, about the immigration status, because a lot of people who don't know about it are like, ‘Oh, people should have come to this country the right way,’ or they have certain ideas about how things should go for certain Hispanic communities,” Jimenez said. “I don't like all that negative connotation that people just assume about the stereotypes.”
She said she also feels strongly about women’s rights, especially as access to abortion continues to evolve.
“I know people always make the joke like the Handmaid’s Tale is coming,” she said. “People do that fear mongering, and you know, there's truth in that, especially with the overturning of Roe v Wade, I'm only 20, and I still have a long lifetime to go, and women's rights are so important.”
Meet Bailey Newcomb
Newcomb is a senior at the University of Central Florida studying advertising and public relations. She has never lived outside Central Florida but said she hopes to one day experience different cultures and communities.
She’s Christian and a member of UCF’s Panhellenic sorority.
“A lot of people categorize me based on what I'm involved in school and stuff, and I feel like at my core I'm growing and learning all the time,” she said. “I think that I'm a very open-minded person, and I'm very empathetic of everyone.”
Newcomb said she tries not to place herself on either side of the political spectrum. Her views align with both liberal and conservative values.
Like Jimenez, she said she often feels perceived online. She said she struggled with how to respond publicly after Charlie Kirk’s death.
“I get nervous; for example, with the whole Charlie Kirk thing, I was like, ‘I don't want to repost this, but I feel like there are people that are going to be mad at me for not reposting this,” Newcomb said. “I ended up not because I stuck to my gun to what I wanted to do, but then I get a little bit nervous that people would perceive me a certain way and not be friends with me.”
She said she has to remind herself that reposting something online is a small task, and if she’s judged for it, she doesn’t want that person as a friend.
“I think if people got to the deeper issue, then they would understand each other better, and they wouldn't think that way anymore, that they can only be friends with people with the same political views,” Newcomb said.
The Takeaway
While they recognized their political differences, Newcomb and Jimenez also acknowledged their similarities and why they’re friends.
“I feel like I learned new things about Bailey, and it definitely didn't change our relationship negatively,” Jimenez said. “She's super nice, and if anything, all the sorority girls I've met via Bailey have all been nice; that's definitely good and breaking that stigma because I'm like, not all Greek life is bad.”
After those reflections, the conversation shifted from politics to personality, as both students opened up about how their friendship works beyond labels.
“I'm glad that you think that. I hope I come off as nice, but then sometimes, it can be hard because of movies or whatever,” Newcomb said. “I feel like I got to know you better, and just to know more about how you've grown over the years, your beliefs, and how you deal with friendships and everything is very fun, and I feel like I'm very proud of you for that, too.”
“I'm proud of your individualism and not being afraid to live your truth in the way that you can recognize, ‘Oh, I can be independent and still share certain beliefs with both parties,' because that's realistic of politics in your life that you've experienced,” Jimenez said.
