Closer Look

Girls State an “outstanding opportunity”

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Anna Waskey

From making chants and learning songs to attending policy debates and electing candidates to office, the memories created and lessons absorbed during my time at American Legion Auxiliary Tar Heel Girls State will be forever carried with me. I recently attended the 85th session of Girls State at Campbell University near Raleigh. It was a week-long summer leadership and citizen program offered to high school junior girls.

Since 1940, Girls State has given teenage girls useful skills, educated about civic duty and political science, and provided the opportunity to make lasting bonds with like-minded girls from many parts of North Carolina. What had the greatest impact on me, however, was the transformation I witnessed in my peers and myself. Never could I have imagined the influence a so-called “Government Camp” would have on me. After my departure of a week struggling in my business-casual heels, attempting to communicate in parliamentary procedure, and making many new friends, I feel more confident, less afraid to put myself out there, and inspired to make a positive change where I can.  

FRANKLIN HIGH School students selected to attend Girls State at Campbell University near Raleigh, N.C., June 9-15, included (L-R) Aubrey Haley, Ryan Greene, Sasha Widman, and Anna Waskey. Widman was elected as a Senator and will be one of two students representing North Carolina at Girls Nation in Washington, D.C., July 20-27.

The American Legion Auxiliary Girls and Boys State Program is a nation-wide program established to invoke a sense of pride for the United States and spark civic participation. Boys State was created in 1935 by two Illinois Legionnaires, Hayes Kennedy and Harold Card, to promote American politics to youth. The success of the Boys State program sparked the creation of Girls State in 1937 so that girls could reap the same benefits. 

Girls and Boys State are typically held on a campus of each state, where citizens spend one week learning about and making American policy. Tar Heel Girls State of North Carolina has been in operation since 1940 and is the longest continuously running Girls State program. The program is only offered to rising seniors between the ages of 16 and 18 in the top one-third of their class or who have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. 

At Franklin High School, recommendations to Girls State were based on academics as well as character. We were interviewed by members of our local auxiliary and then invited to attend. 

Not only is Girls State an outstanding opportunity, but it is also an honor to be considered as a potential citizen and, ultimately, to be selected.  

FRANKLIN HIGH School students Alexa Morales-Montelongo and Breanna Pelletier also attended Girls State.

A packed week

We began at 7 or 8 a.m. and sometimes did not stop until midnight. We listened to inspirational speakers who spoke on how to find a career both in and out of politics, build leadership skills, and use our voices to properly make change. 

We also spent a great deal of time in meetings performing “city business.” We were divided into four “cities” – Orange, Green, Blue, and Red. In these meetings, we elected citizens to offices (mayor, city chairs, police chief, etc.), discussed the best ways of solving quandaries in our cities, and organized city precincts. We would continue to conduct city meetings to deal with city business throughout the week, but we also held meetings for the separate precincts, where we developed a party platform and a slate of officers to run for State Office. As the week progressed, those running for office participated in debates, campaigning, and elections. 

Spending a week in a dorm for the first time with three other girls I had never met, trying new things, creating lasting bonds, and learning about public policy by making it with like-minded young women was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Being placed in a setting such as this forced me to step out of my comfort zone. Prior to my attendance, I preferred to stay quiet, let someone else lead and command, and feared giving speeches. While I was there, I learned that to make a change, I must use my voice. I became more comfortable with talking to the other girls, being open with my thoughts and ideas, and asking questions. 

THE 85TH session of American Legion Auxiliary Tar Heel Girls State, or Girls State, at Campbell University near Raleigh was a packed week of lectures, policy discussions, debating, and more aimed at encouraging civic participation.

Participation is a key part of the program. It was an exceedingly eye-opening experience and greatly informative on local politics. Girls State also placed me in a competitive environment unlike any in which I had ever been. I ran against other girls for several positions; I won some, and I lost some. Although losing in an election was disappointing, it allowed me to learn why I wasn’t the best candidate, what I could have done better, and how to move on and persevere. 

“I think there is something really special about uniting a group of women under a common goal; I think that is the hallmark of leadership. We want every girl to go back to her community and share the things she has learned,” said a former Girls Nation senator, Paige Greene. 

Alongside running for local offices, girls also ran as senators for Girls Nation, a program where two girls elected from each Girls State go to Washington, D.C., for one week to represent their respective states. This position requires a written application, an in-person interview process, and an election by Girls State citizens in order to determine the two who will ultimately represent us in D.C. I ran for this position and made it as far as the final six but did not win. However, one of my closest friends, Sasha Widman, (a 2024-25 senior at Franklin High School) won and I could not be happier for her. 

Girls State is a growing program, and I want to help it continue to expand. 

“Last year, we had about 100 girls attend and this year we have about 125,” Greene contributed. 

The character development I acquired upon my attendance is something I can carry with me forever. I learned how to become a leader, use my voice, be myself, and more, and I am eternally grateful for these skills. Although it can be nerve wracking to step out of one’s comfort zone on such a large scale as this, the lessons learned, bonds created, and memories made are worth the initial fear. It is my hope that every North Carolina junior girl gets the opportunity to experience Girls State.      

Anna Waskey is an honors student at Franklin High School.