By the way, the comment on your proposal by a classmate is offbase, I think! It says you should keep your opinion out of it. However, as this phrase indicates, you have some experience here. While it would be too much to rest one's argument on that, it might be an important tool for establishing ethos! And that's important.

So, for example, I could imagine an essay called "Why I'm a Young Conservative" where the author's personal stance would come forward clearly, and the issue would fit well within the definitional assignment.