July 2, 2003
TC students attend Boys State
High school juniors experience political process
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Experiencing life in the fast lane of politics, four area boys participated in Boys State last month.
These young men were some of more than 500 students from around the state, all between their junior and senior years of high school, who gathered at Michigan State University in mid June for a taste of the political life. The American Legion founded the program and committees at posts nationwide select participants for each state's Boys State program. The American Legion also sponsors Boys Nation, which includes two youth from each state.
Boys State attendees spend seven days running a fictional state, holding elections, staffing county and city offices, proposing legislation and negotiating political deals. They also visit the Capitol building in Lansing, where the state legislators for Boys State presented and debated bills.
"You learn about the political process and campaigning and how it ties into life," said Adam Valentino of Central High School. "I put a lot into it and I got a lot out of it."
Valentino, who is involved with Central's Student Senate, was state representative for his fictional county and on the board of recreation for his fictional city.
"What I did in the House of Representatives I worked to get bills passed," he said. "I wrote up a bill about a transportation problem and it was actually passed."
Jared Conaway threw his hat into the big ring early in the week: he ran for governor of Boys State. A Student Senate member at Central, he pulled together a campaign team that had approximately 60 people working for his campaign. Conaway did not win the election and instead served his 'city' as a public defender. He later became an assistant attorney general and won two cases before the Boys State Supreme Court.
Even though he did not win the governor's race, Conaway said it was a very worthwhile challenge.
"When you're in that ring you get the feeling of what goes into running for such a high position," said Conaway, who plans to study politics at either George Washington University or James Madison College at Michigan State University. "It was not about winning or losing but the learning experience."
Alex Nichols from Traverse City West High School attended a National Youth Leadership Conference in Washington D.C., this spring. Attending Boys State a few months later fueled his interest in the political process even more.
"Just the idea of being with hundreds of the smartest kids from all over the state was kind of appealing," Nichols said. "As you got to meet people and kind of found out where you fit it, it was a lot of fun."
Nichols served in the Boys State House of Representatives, winning an election without even campaigning for a seat. He enjoyed writing for the program's newspaper most of all, especially humorous or satirical pieces. While Nichols is very interested in politics and loves discussing and debating issues, he plans to pursue a career in business.
"I am more interested in business more than anything else," said Nichols, a soccer player who is also involved in his school's student council, theater program and Spanish Club. "Politics are fascinating but I just don't know if I like all the corruption."
Aaron Mills found the political campaigns the most challenging aspect of Boys State. For participants who were running for office, it was a grueling two days of meeting, greeting and talking about positions and issues. With statistics showing 20 percent of Boys State graduates going on to careers in politics, learning these lessons young is a boost to future aspirations.
"If you're going to run for office, you have to get your name and face out there," said Mills, who plans to study political science or international relations in college. "That is the biggest challenge you learn."
Building friendships with like-minded students around the state is one of the numerous side benefits of Boys State. These friendships and networking opportunities can last for years, especially with the ease of communication provided by the Internet. Nichols, however, had a more pragmatic perspective about his new friends.
"I can now crash in pretty much any city in the state if I want to," he said.