Shorecrest students selected for prestigious positions at YMCA Youth Legislature

Amellia Brown
Editor in Chief

Corrected 05-14-2013 10:31pm

By Madeleine Harriman

Though widely unknown, the YMCA’s Youth Legislature program is among the more prestigious of potential extracurriculars for high school students. Modeled off the Washington State’s legislative process, participants choose positions as Senators, House Representatives, Lobbyists, or members of the Press Corps, where they write and debate bills, run for Major Office positions, write articles, research current events and improve leadership skills. Delegations meet weekly at their local YMCA state-wide, culminating in a trip to Olympia to hold session in the Capitol building.

Members of the Dale Turner Delegation, as well as the Shoreline and Lake Forest Park communities, have recently been given reason to celebrate as two of their own have been elected to Major Office. Amelia Brown, Youth Editor-in-Chief and Dino Nzanga Jr., Youth Governor, are ecstatic with their election.

Dino Nzanga Jr., Youth Governor

As Editor-in-Chief, Amelia Brown will have five Assistant Editors reporting to her, as well as reporters and photographers under her jurisdiction. Her main responsibility is both writing articles and approving the final edition of The Capitol Chronicles, a daily newspaper about the goings-on the legislative session.  

The most notable of the Major Offices is, without doubt, Youth Governor. In this position, Dino Nzanga Jr. will spend a good portion of his time either signing or vetoing bills after they’ve been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate. He will select a cabinet of six who will represent him during debate.

Outside of Olympia, Dino will also meet with Jay Inslee to discuss bills passed by the Youth Legislature and their potential to be enacted by Washington State Legislature, as well as attending a Youth Governors Conference in Washington D.C. with the Youth Governors from other states. Overall, the program is fantastic, and does more than look good on college applications. Anyone who knows either Amelia Brown or Dino Nzanga Jr. has reason to be proud.