Anjali Fernandes, who will be a senior at Pattonville High School, was recently elected to state and national positions at Missouri Girls State – representing a first in the organization’s long history.
Missouri Girls State is an interactive citizen leadership program for young women. The program, held annually at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, is a simulated state, sponsored, organized and administered by the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Missouri.
Fernandes was elected governor of Missouri Girls State and as one of two Missouri senators who will attend Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. this summer, where she will meet President Barack Obama. This is the first time a student has won both the Missouri Girls State governorship and a seat at Girls Nation in the same year.
“The way the American Legion Auxiliary ladies explained it to me, they were having a ‘near constitutional crisis’ because, in the 72-year history of Girls State, no one has ever been elected governor and also been selected for Girls Nation,” Fernandes said.
“At first, they were going to make me decide which position I wanted, but thankfully, I didn’t have to make that tough choice!”Â
Fernandes said she underwent a tough and realistic process for election to state office, first within her party and then in the general election.
“We made a series of speeches to the girls and even had a press conference where we discussed real-world issues,” she said. “There was a lot of hand-shaking, poster-hanging and stump-speaking – very much like an actual campaign.”
As Missouri governor, Fernandes will serve a year-long term. One her first events as governor will be speaking at the American Legion State Convention in Jefferson City. She will end her term presiding over the 2013 session of Missouri Girls State. For her duties as Girls Nation Senator, she’ll travel to Washington, D.C., take part in a series of mock Senate sessions and debate/pass legislation.
“I, along with my fellow Missouri senator, have already submitted our own resolution regarding 17-year-olds voting in primary elections,” Fernandes said.
She will also have the opportunity to run for national office, such as president or vice president of Girls Nation. Other plans for the Washington trip include visiting the Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery, Walter Reed Medical Center and a series of war memorials. Already her involvement in Girls State has paid off.
“Thanks to Girls State, I’ve had first-hand involvement in the political process, I’ve developed the skills to be a good leader and citizen, and I’ve gained so much more confidence in myself,” Fernandes said.
