Six Grapevine High School students have completed their participation in the Congressional Youth Advisory Council in Texas’ 24th Congressional District under U.S. Representative Beth Van Duyne.
“I was interested in joining the council because I wanted to learn more about Congress from someone who is actually there,'' said GHS student Julia Hall.
Students were given a unique interactive experience to learn about the federal government, discuss public policy and work with their representative while serving their community.
“Serving on the council taught me a lot about all the factors that go into politics and how it's important to consider both sides to each issue,” said GHS student Yashvi Shah.
Throughout the program, students strengthened critical thinking and problem-solving skills by assessing the role of the federal government in different activities. Students would cover individual topics within the government, such as trade, foreign affairs and taxes. These activities would also hone in on the students' public speaking and writing skills.
“Each month, we would have to write various essays regarding different bills and plans that related to our assigned topic. We then had presentations where we argued a specific stance,” Shah explained. “It really highlighted the importance of being open-minded and having a willingness to communicate.”
Students also had the opportunity to present their topics in front of Representative Van Duyne and ask questions about current events.
“Being selected to serve on the Congressional Youth Advisory Council was a true honor. I was very excited to get the opportunity to learn from the Congresswoman,” Hall added.
Congratulations to these GHS students who participated in the Youth Advisory Council:
Isabella Dowell, Freshman
Piyush Mallick, Sophomore
Geneva McCreight, Sophomore
Riya Sajan, Sophomore
Yashvi Shah, Junior
Julia Hall, Junior