Amelie Zilber Goes To the White House

Amelie Zilber just might be Gen Z’s ultimate multi-hyphenate. At 19, she’s a digital creator with 2.6 million Instagram followers. She’s a model, a Unicef ambassador, and a member of the Georgetown University Class of 2024. She’s the founder of Two Minute Times, featuring articles and other breaking updates in a short-form format. And, she’s an activist with her very own Facebook show, Don’t @ Me, which centers around a round-table format where she invites her peers to come discuss hot topics (key episodes have included the topics of pronouns, religion, and toxic relationships).

In November, Zilber was invited to come visit the White House to meet with Pete Buttigieg and interview him on the Infrastructure Bill. Here, Zilber exclusively shares photos and reflections from her time in D.C. with NYLON.

“The main goal of what I have set out to do is to help educate and inspire Gen Z through breaking down current events, both domestically and internationally. When it comes to complex and hard-to-digest political issues, I recognize the need to turn to experts who can use their knowledge to help us all understand these difficult topics better. I’ve previously worked closely with the digital team at the White House on other initiatives so am familiar with potential ideas they might be open to. Presenting my idea to interview Secretary Buttigieg seemed lofty and likely out of reach but the team was thrilled about the opportunity to speak to the Gen Z audience through my platform; needless to say – I was elated beyond words!

As the day approached I was equally as nervous as I was excited. Secretary Buttigieg was so at ease, so optimistic and incredibly passionate about the power of this piece of legislation that it made the experience significantly less nerve-racking. We found ourselves engaging in a captivating conversation about the Infrastructure law, condensing ideas like inflation and climate change into easily understandable bits of information and indulging in a couple selfies to remember the moment by. It was such an honor to speak with him and I’m extremely grateful for his willingness to participate in this conversation with me.”