Everyone at Morningside knows who Alex Watters, who is often seen zooming through campus smiling and saying hi to students. Currently Watters is serving on the city council where he is elected though 2021. But who was Alex Watters before he became one of Morningside’s favorite faculty members? 

After graduating from Morningside in 2009 Watters moved to DC after he was selected by the American Association with People with Disabilities to work with the US Department of Education. In DC Watters got to work with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Michelle Obama on the “Lets Read, Lets Move” campaign. Watters talked about the various celebrities he met while working on this project, like when he met Kareem Abdul Jabbar in the bathroom “his head was above the stall” said Watters. 

After his time in DC he moved back to Sioux City to be the field organizer for the Obama Campaign. Although Watters himself was unable to knock on the doors his told him that Watters’ was there to “inspire people to knock on doors.” Watters’ team even knocked on the most doors in the region for the Obama campaign at one point. 

A lot of people underestimate Watters’ ability to get things done. “I would be doing this if I was an able body, why wouldn’t I be doing this now,” said Watters’. Watters has come out to endorse Kamala Harris’ campaign. Harris’ campaign has reached out to Watters about disability policies. “That was powerful to me,” said Watters. Watters has remarked about the glass ceiling that comes with having a disability, that tries to prohibit people from achieving their dreams. 

Watters has never let his disability get in the way of his passions. Watters’ is a huge advocate for health care, and has even remarked that Iowa’s health care system is broken. Watters is critical of the current Medicaid policies because it is all for profit. “You need to know the impact of your policy,” said Watters’.