Teens learn government from inside at Girls State

Lauren Giacone and fellow Mount Carmel students Francesca Tusa, Angela Bautista, Gabrielle Dupuy, Taylor Morgan, Alexia Archaga and Brittany Klein participated in Girls State. Giacone advanced to Girls Nation. 
Photo | COURTESY MOUNT CARMEL ACADEMY 

  “And the next of our two Girls Nation senators is Janet Giacone.”
    These are the words the Girls State program director announced, as well as the words that led to the most life-changing experience I’ve ever had the privilege to attend.
    My name is, in fact, not Janet, but due to a mistake in the blind selection process, my certificate and pictures all claimed otherwise. According to 97 other girls from 48 other states, however, I am Laurel Giacone, Senate sergeant-at-arms and Supreme Court justice.
    In late June, I attended the Louisiana Girls State program at Northwestern State University with 500 other incoming senior leaders interested in the nuances of Louisiana politics, including six others from Mount Carmel Academy: Francesca Tusa, Angela Bautista, Gabrielle Dupuy, Taylor Morgan, Alexia Archaga and Brittany Klein. At Girls State, I became the mayor of my city and spent a week working on city projects and overseeing arrests and court cases. At the end of the week, I was selected as one of two girls to represent Louisiana at Girls Nation in Washington, D.C.
    At Girls Nation, I delivered a speech and was elected as Senate sergeant-at-arms, one of five elected positions in the Girls Nation Senate. In this position, I delivered notes between senators and escorted all guests and speakers to their seats during sessions. Later in the week, I was appointed by the president of Girls Nation, my party’s candidate, as an associate justice in the Supreme Court. I was sworn in wearing a robe in the United States Capitol.
During this week in late July, my co-senator and I presented a bill on athlete safety to the Girls Nation Senate. Our bill was debated and finally passed by a majority vote. The act was signed by our elected Girls Nation president and included in a docket to be passed on to our United States government and the president of the United States.
     Another highlight of my experience was touring the White House and meeting President Obama. The day before we met, he had visited New Orleans. After hugging him and introducing myself, he told me he had enjoyed being in my city.
    Girls Nation was the most influential week I’ve ever experienced. Spending seven days with the future leaders of our country and experiencing first-hand the possibilities of being a leader myself was life-changing. I developed skills I didn’t even know I had, and every day the chance to utilize them reminds me of how blessed I am to be involved with such an incredible program.
    Lauren Giacone is a senior at Mount Carmel Academy.