While the rest of the Notre Dame community enjoyed their last days of Spring Break, Youth and Government convened in Annapolis. The girls composed legislation, studied Parliamentary Procedure, and donned their smartest business casual as they met students from across the state in Maryland’s beautiful capital. This year, NDP brought a delegation of girls ranging from inexperienced freshmen to familiar seniors. While the majority of students participated in a mock legislative session held in the real House and Senate chambers, NDP girls were also represented as attorneys, judges, lobbyists, and members of the press.

Of all the schools represented, NDP brought the highest number of young leaders to officer positions. In order to obtain these positions, they had to either be elected or appointed based on their experience and merit. Our officers included Katie Lorenz as Clerk of the Senate, Ally Ewers as Chief Justice, Taylor Andrews as Head Lobbyist, Erin Dodson as Chair of the Environmental Committee, Caroline Borja as Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee, Maura Schlee as Chair of the Transportation Committee, Annabelle Somarriba as Secretary of Crime and Judiciary, and Hannah Schiavone as Speaker of the House. Grace Sullivan and Grace Chubb also led the conference as Governor and Lieutenant Governor. These students arrived two days early for Officer Training. At Officer Training, they prepared for their positions, assisted the program staff in preparations, and connected with their fellow officers.

As Governor Sullivan explained in her opening speech, the mission of Youth and Government is to transform young people into informed citizens. She stated,

“What we are doing here in Annapolis and what our fellow Americans are doing in Youth and Government conferences across the country is building a new generation. We are building a generation that makes it easy for progress and makes it difficult for elites to take advantage of the common man and woman. We are building a generation that cares when a working mother on the other side of town cannot afford day care for her children. We are building a generation that cares when an immigrant or a newcomer to the community faces discrimination in housing. Most importantly, we are building a generation that not only cares but acts.

With your commitment, passion will become action and our friendships can become the basis of a network to form the leaders of tomorrow. When our generation rises, the days of complacency will be over. When our generation rises, no Marylander will ever sit idly by while another suffers. When our generation rises, divisive rhetoric will fail once and for all, and no democrat will ever be convinced that a republican is not her brother simply because of ideological differences. In this way, we can make a brighter future for all.”

At the conference, this mission played out in many ways. This year, the very first bill to arrive on the Governor’s desk was Liliana Callahan’s legislation on campaign finance reform. After the Governor enthusiastically signed this legislation, an injunction was issued by the courts so that the bill’s constitutionality could be reviewed. Considering the precedent of Citizens United, the court ruled that limiting campaign contributions equated to limiting free speech and that thus the bill would not go into effect.

The Governor also signed Nicole Bulgarino’s bill imposing term limits at the state level. In the lobbying world, Taylor Andrews had her initiative to ban fake pockets pass based upon a popular vote from all the delegates. While these girls saw their own legislation succeed, many others stole the show simply by supporting and opposing the proposals of other students. Celeste O’Connor, a senior attending her first Youth and Government conference, boldly advocated for the rights of the poor, while sophomore Sarah Walsh brought up points she had studied in AP Government class at NDP.

At the conclusion of the conference, awards were handed out to various outstanding delegates for their achievements. Erin Dodson, a senior who has dedicated three years to the program, was selected as the top Senator. In the courts, Tori Erisman was selected as Attorney General, and Maura Schlee was elected to be governor. With Maura and Tori as the leaders of the future, it seems clear the Notre Dame Prep delegation will continue to serve Youth and Government for years to come.