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California YMCA Youth & Government
Bimonthly Newsletter: September 2024 |
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A Letter From Our
77th Youth Secretary of State |
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My name is Briana Alagba, and I am your 77th Youth Secretary of State. At the MLC SOS office, we are working tirelessly on our Voter Engagement Initiative: YWEVOTE. This year is an important one, as we have an election year upon us. It is so imperative that we get as many people to the polls as possible, especially our young people. The SOS office wants to increase the number of youth under 16 years-old to make a promise to register; over 16 years-old to pre-register; and 18 or older to register to vote. We are hoping the California Superintendent of Public Instruction will share our mission with all of the School District Superintendents around California. We are encouraging our delegates to become involved as much as possible, such as at their schools, working with their principals to have tables on registering to vote at their club rushes. Not only that but starting that conversation with friends and family is the easiest first step. Our goal is to get at least 1000 people pre-registered/ registered to vote, and those under the age of 16 more knowledgeable on what’s on the 2024 California Ballot. With the diligent steps that our office is taking, we hope that we are able to achieve our goal! |
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From, |
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Briana Alagba
77th Youth Secretary of State |
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California Student Mock Election |
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Cal Y Y&G is thrilled to be invited to participate in the statewide California Student Mock Election (taking place on October 8, 2024) put forth by CA Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber and CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. The Mock Election is designed to energize teens about voting and educate delegates about the presidential candidates and issues on our California ballot. We hope that all Model Legislature & Court delegations sign up to participate in this statewide activity. Click below for more information. Any questions should be directed to our 77th SOS Office at YGSecretaryofState@gmail.com. |
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The California CONA delegation enjoyed their three-day pre-trip in Louisville, KY, before heading to the Mountain. They explored Louisville by trolley tour and visited Churchill Downs. The delegation spent time at the Muhammed Ali Center, learning about his social justice work, then tackled escape rooms together and polished their speeches and debate techniques.
At CONA, seven of California's 23 delegates ranked highly in the first two rounds of debate and advanced to Committee C (formerly third committee). Beyond Committee C, one CA delegate made it to GA and one made it to Plenary!
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California delegate Nicholas Johnson (Gardena-Carson) was awarded as a 2024 Outstanding Statesman, and California delegate Catherine Piotrowski (Torrance-South Bay) received awards for 2024 Outstanding Proposal and 2024 Distinguished Delegate. |
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A big thanks to our CONA advisors Kathy Yoshii, Mauricio Hinojosa, and
Kevin Gavino for volunteering their time and talents to support our teens! |
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National Judicial
Competition (NJC) |
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Team CA rose to the challenge and showed up as fierce competitors! Our six teams of two delegates each competed in eight rounds against delegates from across the nation. Congratulations to these 12 strangers who turned into a team, and then family by the trip's end. A big thank you to NJC Coaches Trevor Michels and Austin Baxter, both Cal Y Y&G alumni and practicing attorneys, for their dedication to the group's success!
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Awards and Accomplishments
Based on their scores from the competition rounds, Nicole Choi (Torrance-South Bay) and Kayla Ring (Collins & Katz) were among the just 9 delegates (of 100!) selected to participate in the Appellate Showcase Round as justices.
Camryn Cooper (Conejo Simi Valley) was awarded the Cal Y Y&G Courtney Brousseau Outstanding Jurist Award. Camryn demonstrated initiative, Y&G's core character values, and friendship to all, setting a noble example of servant leadership.
Rahul Chilmakuri (Sacramento Central) and partner Kayla Ring (Collins & Katz) were the highest scoring CA Team, scoring in the high 90's (out of 100) for the majority of their rounds. This freshman/sophomore pair were both new to the competition and came out on top! |
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Alumni Spotlight: Devanshi
Patel-Martin |
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“I credit my experience with Y&G with forming the entire course of my journey—from the amazing friendships I made (I remain close with many of my cohort members and a few of us celebrated weddings together just last year) as well as my larger sense of ethics and public service that I hope to devote my career to.”
-Devanshi Patel-Martin |
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Cal Y Y&G celebrates Alumna Devanshi Patel-Martin (Silicon Valley Central), the former Chief of Staff to the 62nd MLC Youth Governor. Devanshi graduated from Stanford University with a BA in International Relations, which led her to a variety of experiences from working in the U.S. Department of State, to research at Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, to jobs in international business strategy. This year, Devanshi was the JD Student Speaker at UC Berkeley School of Law, where she co-founded Mass Media at Berkeley Law, a student group devoted to journalism, media, and the law, and served as a supervising editor of the California Law Review. Devanshi is now pursuing a career as a public interest lawyer. She is currently clerking for Judge Sabrina McKenna of the Supreme Court of Hawaii and next year, for Judge Micah W. J. Smith of the US District Court for the District of Hawaii. Enjoy her speech below.
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Thank you, Devanshi, for allowing us to highlight your journey.
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