For my inaugural post as the Blog Manager for Southern California, no subject seemed more appropriate to me than Southern California itself. What do miles of shoreline, citrus groves, and Los Angeles traffic have in common with a massive chunk of the Junior State of America program’s membership? They all call the southerly half of the Golden State home. 

As we all know, JSA is a national organization, a tangled network of underage political enthusiasts spanning the United States. While each region, from Texas to Florida, hosts its own conventions and events every year, each zone has its own flavor and quirks, much like the geographical states that contain them.

The Southern California region is unique in size and personality. As the largest ‘state’ in the nation (so large, in fact, that the once-unified JSA state in California had to be divided into Northern and Southern regions), it draws thousands of students to its conventions, which have to be held in some of the biggest hotels that the area has to offer. The distinctive feel of California itself permeates nearly every JSA procedure and event; nowhere else will organics-munching, Buddhist surfers with sun-bleached hair come into contact with well-dressed conservatives whose morals are as firm as their handshakes. The Southern California JSA member can come from nearly any walk of life or ethnicity: the geographical spectrum of San Luis Obispo down to San Diego affects so much more than how long it takes a person to get to the convention hotel. Our differences manifest themselves in what we say in Thought Talk discussions, our reactions to a new opinion in a debate, and our relations with other students and chapters.

It doesn’t take a particularly perceptive reader to see how proud I am of my region; four years of Southern California JSA would make anyone happy to celebrate it in any way possible. But I don’t mean to intimidate or challenge readers from any region with my patriotism; if anything, I want what I write here in the Southern California JSA blog to be a source of inspiration, discussion, and entertainment for all audiences. I hope I can bring all the diversity and fun-loving spirit of my region to this blog in the coming months.

So please stay tuned. Four years of involvement with this organization has taught me that you can count on JSA to keep things interesting. In the next few months alone, I’ll be covering everything from chapter meetings to the Southern California Fall State convention, as well as whatever international and national news that tickles my fancy. Perhaps I’ll even wax philosophical on a few abstract topics. And if you do find your attention lagging, don’t hesitate to let me know. I am here to field your JSA- and SoCal-related comments, questions, and concerns.

Yours,

Julia Cooperman