JSA: Be The People

I joined The Junior Statesman of America (JSA) my freshman year of high school for ALL the wrong reasons, but I luckily fell into a great decision. In all honesty, I joined because I had a gigantic crush on one of the junior boys in JSA....BUT actually ended up learning so much from it.

If you haven't heard of it, JSA aims to teach high school students about democracy and our government in order to encourage involvement and leadership for life! Students involved in JSA learn with and from each other through debates and simulations on critical political and social issues. 

via: http://shsjsa.weebly.com/uploads/6/1/0/9/6109080/9424601.png

via: http://jsa.org/wp-content/uploads/JSA_Congress_header1-1024x474.jpg

JSA Fast Facts:

1. About 10,000 members across the country

2. Over the course of the year there are overnight conventions where you get to meet and work with students from other chapters--one of them each year is a massive Congress simulation. There are also awesome summer programs at Georgetown, Princeton, UVA, Stanford and one in Beijing!

3. Female students were more likely to say JSA programs drastically improved their overall knowledge and skills. Over 65% of female students said that JSA seriously improved their confidence to speak up in class.

JSA had a big impact on my life and maybe it could have one on yours too (and help you get into college)! If there isn't a chapter at your school yet, you should found your own!! Click here to learn more.

Women Who Make America

I was browsing the internet (read: procrastinating) and came across this awesome website called Makers: Women Who Make America. The project aims to compile the stories of trailblazing women from across the country through tons of video interviews. Makers looks to document the paths of women in all kinds of different fields, especially in those usually dominated by men like business, technology, sports and politics. It is a great, empowering way to put off writing my essay. 

Anyways, one of my favorite interviews is with Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the House. As the first female Speaker, she had no choice but to learn how to make her voice heard in a room filled with men. This is one of my favorite videos of her...

                   

This quote especially resonated with me: "It's in everybody's interest, Democrats and Republicans, to have many more women in all parties represented in Congress, and in government, and in business, and across the board.  I know that nothing has been more wholesome for our political system, for our government than the increased participation of women"

It's so powerful to hear from someone on the inside of politics just how far we as women have come  and how much more we can do. It really makes me want to go out and get involved. Like right now...

Watch some of the other interviews on Makers and let me know which are your favorites!