Carolina Herrin wants every voice to be heard
FORK — Making sure ev- ery voice is heard is important to Caro- lina Herrin, creator of the Spanish Fork Community News Facebook group. The group has 10,000 members and is one of the most active groups around with an engagement rate of around 8,000 people.
Herrin, a Spanish Fork Resident, start- ed the group because she wanted a place for local residents to be able to go online and ask questions and reach businesses. "Anyone can make a difference. It doesn't matter who you are or what age you are, but to do that you do have to have infor- mation," Herrin said. "Everyone should know what's going on."
Throughout her career, Herrin has worked to protect people's rights and ensure they have a say. She has a law enforcement background and currently works as a public information specialist for the state Attorney General's office.
She holds a position on the Republican Party Central Committee and represents Utah County on the Women's Legisla- tive Council. She spent many days at the capitol during the last session of the Utah Legislature following bills that would af- fect women and Utah County residents.
Herrin, a naturalized citizen, was born in Brazil. This has given her a greater appreciation for the way American gov- ernment is run. "What other government allows people to be so involved with their policies," she said.
"I'm an immigrant and so it means a lot to me to make sure your voice is heard and help others make sure their voice is heard," Herrin said. "I've seen what hap- pens when people become uninvolved and when people just don't care.You end up with government corruption."
Herrin said the more people that are involved, the better the lawmaking pro- cess will be. This session, Herrin pushed for domestic violence legislation and get- ting a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon, a Utah State Senator, elected in 1896, and the nation's first woman in that position.
Empowering women is another empha- sis of Herrin's. She loves to see women gather for the Wonderwoman Ride, a cycling event she started with friend Ma- hogani Thurston 9 years ago. Wonder- woman is held in Payson every Septem- ber. This year, the event falls on Saturday, September 15.
"We just feel like women are able to do anything. Every woman is Wonderwom- an and we want to celebrate them," she said. To find out more about the cycling event, visit Wonderwomanride.com or find Wonderwoman Ride on Facebook.