The part that I feared the most was the first step into my admission, the interview. I knew their standards would be set high and I would have to bring my A game.
The interview was nerve-racking. Sitting in a room full of beautiful, accomplished young women, I felt my odds of being selected were low, but to my surprise, a few weeks later, I opened the white envelope to find I passed the test and would be spending a wonderful week learning about politics and making new friends.
Upon arrival at the University of Central Missouri, the camp’s location, I was eager to find out what my experience would be like, who my roommate was going to be and how much information about politics I could possibly squeeze into my head with only a week at camp. The first step to my adventure was being placed in what they called a “county.”
A county is a big group of girls that is then broken down into multiple “cities.” The city was my family for the week. Fortunately, I was blessed with a great group of girls in my city, whom I now consider my very close friends. The bonds built in a week really does blossom into a community that sticks together. We still keep in touch, and a few of us will be attending the University of Missouri together next year.
Throughout the week, we learned about policies and experienced the exact process of how the government functions. Each attendee ran for a position that they felt would best fit them. I decided to be on the highway patrol, along with one other girl from my city. Our job was to “protect” the camp and to enforce the ground rules.
Each day we had two classes. One class revolved around our positions and the other informed us about politics. During our class for the highway patrol we were fortunate enough to have multiple guest speakers and presentations on the Missouri Highway patrol. A highway patrol officer brought in his search dog and showed us the process of search and seizure. We learned valuable information that I will never forget.
At the end of the week, I was sad to leave. I had such a wonderful experience, and I recommend it to all the junior girls. It was a week that changed my life, one I will never forget. I recommend Missouri Girls State to any junior who is looking for a great week in Warrensburg, Missouri. You dont even have to interested in politics!
By Caraline Trecha
