I am taking a different approach this week. Perhaps something a little more personal is in order. All my life, I heard that my sister had gone to Girls State. As a child, that did not mean much to me except that it was something good and a high achievement. As I got older, I learned that Girls State was an event held in the summers for girls, and Boys State for boys, that taught those selected to go about civics and the political process in our state. At the time, I really didn’t understand the selection process, but I did know that it was something you wanted on your resume. By the time I reached high school, students were skeptical about wanting to attend. It did not matter that it was a high accolade and desirable on a resume. However, in my junior year in high school, I was chosen to be a delegate to Girls State. I suspect some were jealous they were not chosen, but it was not the popular thing to do. While to my friends, I was lackadaisical about attending, I was secretly happy to be chosen. I was excited to learn more about how things worked in our state political system. Looking back, it was critical in the creation of who I am today.