THE JUNIOR STATE OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES COUNCIL OF GOVERNORS FOR 2008-2009 WASHINGTON, DC — The Junior State of America (JSA) proudly announces the new 2008-2009 JSA Council of Governors, elected during the 2008 JSA Spring State Convention series in April. The JSA Council of Governors is comprised of nine outstanding high school students representing nine U.S. geographic regions who will lead the non-partisan student-run Junior State of America during the 2008-2009 school year. These young scholars hold the highest elected positions in the nation-wide program that encourages political involvement and civic leadership among high school students. They join a prestigious group of individuals who have served as JSA leaders in the past, including former U.S. Attorney General Ed Meese and former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry. The 2008-2009 JSA Council of Governors includes: · Ohio River Valley: Niraj Antani (Miamisburg, OH; Miamisburg High School) · Pacific Northwest: Sarah Iskra (Bellevue, WA; International School) · Southern California: Nahal Jalali (Huntington Beach, CA; Marina High School) · Mid-Atlantic: Juan Carlos Melendez-Torres (Princeton, NJ; Princeton Day School) · Midwest: Alicia Pettys (Springfield, IL; Springfield High School) · Florida: Julie Rivo (Miami Beach, FL; Miami Beach Senior High School) · Texas: Evan Rowley (Austin, TX; Anderson High School) · Northern California: Rebecca Sachs (Orinda, CA; College Preparatory School) · Northeast: Alex Speiser (New York, NY; Horace Mann High School) Each governor will oversee all JSA activities in their respective geographic area, including three major weekend-long conventions, management of the program budget, support for high school JSA chapters, and the expansion of the program to new schools. Additionally, they will work as a national JSA Council of Governors to make executive decisions regarding the non-partisan Junior State of America during the 2008-2009 school year. “We are happy to announce this new Council of Governors, and believe that each governor will contribute their individual strengths to the council,” commented Jeff Harris, Executive Director of the Junior Statesmen Foundation. “JSA is run entirely by the students who participate in the program, and our new governors will develop a unified vision for the future to encourage civic engagement in their high school peers nationwide.” The Junior State of America is a 74-year-old student-run, nonpartisan civic education and political awareness organization for high school students. JSA prepares young adults to be the active citizens and effective, principled political leaders of tomorrow. Although JSA is run by high school students, a teacher at each chapter’s high school serves as an advisor and the organization is supported by The Junior Statesmen Foundation based in San Mateo, California and Washington, D.C. “The mission of JSA is to foster new leaders for our democratic society,” David Viotti, Chief Executive Officer of the Junior Statesmen Foundation, commented. “As we enter our 75th year and anniversary celebration, I look forward to working with the Council to honor the work of our founder, and to recognize that they are, as were the previous generations of JSA students, the future of our government.” Candidates for governor campaigned before and during the Spring State Convention held in their respective region, and were elected by their peers via a process similar to the national Electoral College system. In total, the JSA 2008 Spring State Convention series convened nearly 5,000 high school students in nine cities (Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; Orlando, FL; Stamford, CT; Deerfield, IL; Santa Clara, CA; Columbus, OH; Bellevue, WA; and Parsippany, NJ) in April to debate current domestic and international policy issues and to elect the top JSA leadership positions for the next school year. The theme of the 2008 series, Passing the Torch: A New World Order, highlights the political changes associated with electing a new president this fall, but also refers to the responsibilities that the current generation of high school students will assume as the future of our government. |
