In my Junior year,  after attending a Summer Institute on Media and Politics at UCLA, it came upon me to establish the very first Junior State of America Chapter on campus.

The Junior State of America is a non-partisan, civic education organization that is the largest student-run and student-led organization in the nation.

The mission of my club on the campus of Santa Susana High school was to follow the mission of the Junior State of America which is to “strengthen American democracy by educating and preparing high school students for life-long involvement and responsible leadership in a democratic society”.

 

My club is achieving this very goal as we are promoting civic education through discoursing upon the issues facing our country and our influence around the world. Every Monday we come together and debrief what is happening in the realm of politics in addition to debating these issues through formal and informal debate sessions. After each debate session is over we discuss the implications of both sides of the debate and converse about what we can improve upon in our arguments we presented.

 

 

 

 

 

My main goal is to help each and every member of the chapter be confident in their speaking abilities and perform in a manner that will help them win in any debate they choose. By bringing my members to the three debate competitions that the Junior State of America hosts each year, I am increasing their abilities to converse with outside perspectives, and promoting their engagement and passions in the issues they are passionate about.

 

Through debating and conversing with other individuals outside of the comfort of our campus, I am easing the student's apprehension from public speaking and providing them with the means to increase confidence to speak to any audience.

 

By teaching my experience from being a mock trial member to interning with the Congressman Steve Knight and California State Assemblyman Dante Acosta, I'm encouraging my members to also think about career opportunities in communication, politics, and law.