Not many students can say they’ve been to Washington, D.C., to represent their community at Girls Nation, but in the case of Clarissa Zuo, she has gone twice.
Through the American Legion Auxiliary Girls Nation, girls are able to experience the federal government firsthand, as “senators hold mock Senate sessions, which require them to write, caucus and debate bills; campaign for elected office; elect an ALA Girls Nation president and vice president; and work together to pass legislation,” according to the ALA Girls Nation website.
Zuo, who was sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 507, attended the weeklong program the summer going into her senior year at West Ranch High School as a senator. Now, going into her sophomore year at UCLA, Zuo became a junior counselor this past summer.
“Every state has two delegates that get sent to this program, and I was invited back to be a junior counselor. In order to be a delegate for [Girls Nation], you first have to attend your state’s Girls State. As a junior counselor, you work with a senior counselor, and you chaperone 12 to 14 girls,” Zuo said.
According to Zuo, the 100 delegates, two from each state, work closely with the junior counselors for the duration of the program.
“I think being a junior counselor, you’re responsible for everyone else, whereas as a delegate, you’re [focused] on yourself and the friends you make. The senators can experience a lot of stress. There’s a lot of pressure when it comes to losing their elections, positions they ran for, and for a lot of girls, this is their first time away from home,” Zuo said. “You go from having that fun experience as a senator, to making sure that other people can have that experience, as well.”
As for why she became interested in the program initially, Zuo has always taken an interest in politics and civic engagement, even though she is currently majoring in physics.
“I did political volunteering, I was captain of the speech and debate team at West Ranch, so I thought this would be something that I’d be really interested in. This opportunity is something that I really looked into. I went through an application at West Ranch, then I found out I was selected to be a delegate for California Girls State. They can only take one girl from each high school,” Zuo said.
Zuo came back from Girls State, and was selected for Girls Nation just a few weeks later.
“Every year we do a Capitol Hill day, which is probably my favorite day. During my year as a senator, I was able to meet U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, [D-California]. We also had senate sessions, elections,” Zuo said. “You learn a lot as a senator, but you learn even more behind the scenes as a junior counselor.”
While Zuo is unsure if she’ll have another experience through Girls Nation, she’s proud to have experienced the program, both as a student and as a leader.
“I think Girls State and Girls Nation have definitely made up a part of who I am, as a leader, my political identity in college and for the rest of my life,” Zuo said. “I was definitely happy to have this experience this summer and to be able to do it.”
