Catherine Zbiegien – City of Cholla
Today was all about state government at Arizona Girls State. We heard from some wonderful speakers who told us all about their jobs in the Arizona Government. These speakers were State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, State Rep. Charlene Fernandez, State Sen. Karen Fann, and Lobbyist Catherine Koleman. All speakers told us about how they became interested in politics, their stories about how they got to the positions they hold today, and the duties that their jobs entail. Some of the speakers said that they attended girls state, and it is what sparked their interest in government. It is exciting to think that some of the delegates attending this week may be future politicians, just like these speakers!
We learned all about the legislative branch of our state government. The legislature is the branch of government that makes laws on behalf of their citizens. Legislative jobs are very important because they are the voice of the people who voted for them. While this year the Girls State legislature does not look quite like the real thing, we have all been given the opportunity to write our own bills to submit to become law. The soon-to-be-elected governor may read through these bills and decide which ones she would have signed into law if we had been able to meet in person.
In our counties, we got to vote for who will be moving on in the race for governor and secretary of state. Ms. Steenhard and Ms. Fry both gave amazing speeches, sharing how they would improve our government and make sure that all voices are heard. Good luck to both of you, and I hope to see you move on to the final vote! We also finished up our county elections today. Ms. Carreon was elected the County Superintendent of Schools; Ms. Crawford was elected the County Superior Court Judge; and Ms.Ramirez was elected the County Justice of the Peace. Congratulations to all of you! See you tomorrow Cholla City!