When I was chosen by the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary to be a member of Bluebonnet Girls State 2009, I was anxious to attend. However, upon arriving to Girls State, I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I felt alone because I didn’t know anybody in my city, and intimidated because I was surrounded by so many talented and ambitious young women. I found myself immersed in a new experience and that made me feel very much out of my comfort zone. The week started out slow, to say the least. Things finally started to come together on Tuesday after the municipal elections were held. At first, I wasn’t planning on running for anything at Girls State, but I decided that running for a city office would help me get more involved. I ran for Fire Chief of the City A: Actresses and after a campaigning, a speech, elections, and finally a runoff, I was elected. While learning about municipal government each city had to decide on whichever system was best for that particular city. Our city decided to have a strong, influential city manager, weak mayor, and a city council consisting of six members. It was now our duty to propose ordinances for the citizens to vote on and then enforce the laws. At Girls State, each girl was assigned to either the House of Representatives or the Senate, and every day we spent at least two hours in either the House or the Senate. By the end of the week, I had come to thoroughly enjoy the time spent in the House, even thought it seemed confusing and tedious at first. Every citizen at Girls State had the opportunity to participate in the legislative process, whether they wrote a bill, debated a bill, or just voted on which laws they believed should be passed. House and Senate was something I didn’t know anything about until Girls State and now I really appreciate all the time, effort, hard work and dedication that goes into passing the laws we follow. It was inspiring to see girls persuasively speaking about the controversial issues that they felt so passionately about. Many of the bills that we as citizens of Girls State debated could easily be real issues to be debated on the House or Senate floor in upcoming legislative sessions. Attending Girls State is an opportunity any young woman is lucky to have. What I hope to take from this program is the ability to someday make educated and coherent decisions where government is concerned. I want to thank the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and any others that made my session at Girls State possible. I am so grateful to have been given the chance to partake in this truly life-enriching opportunity. I returned from Girls State with not only a new perspective on government, but also with new capabilities that have helped me become a better citizen and a better person all around.

Shelby Quitta