The 2017 Boys State are Misael Bolanos, Nathan Dang, and Mark Membrebe. The 2017 Girls State is Eva Lee.

American Legion Boys State and Girls State is a highly respected educational program for U.S high school students.

First in the process of choosing Boys and Girls State, counselors are asked to provide names of candidates suited for the program. Next, Mrs. Angelita Gonzales, Principal,  and board member Mrs. Esthela Torres de Siegrist with her husband Mr. de Siegrist will look through the names and interview students. Mr. and Mrs. de Siegrist are then the ones who will ultimately pick the finalists. Boys go to Sacramento State and girls go to Claremont McKenna College. There they will interact with other boys and girls who were selected from other high schools.

Students who were awarded Boys and Girls State were shocked to find out they were selected.

“Honestly I didn’t think I would be chosen. I was like ‘Whaaat…’,” confessed Bolanos.                               

During their time there, they will take part in a operation of local, county and state government.

“While I was at Girls State I was a city clerk, basically the secretary of the city. I organized the paperwork and signed a lot of things. It was actually not very different from what I do in school because I am the ASB secretary,” explains Lee.

To be awarded Boys or Girls State is definitely not easy, other than having an interest in political science, there are a few characteristics one must possess in order to be nominated.

“Students have to be very open to dialogue, they are not shy because they’re going to be meeting other students who will take on the role of mayor, president, city council, and governor so they have to be able build those relationships as well as have those discussions,” Dr. Joaquin Valdez, Assistant Principal of Student Services mentions.  

Students awarded are not only hard-working academically but also in extra-curriculum activities.

“Academically I have challenged myself with the most rigorous classes and extracurricular wise I participate in many things such as band, class council and ASB,” said Membrebe.   

Nevertheless, the students are proud of their achievement and hope to make Arroyo proud as well.

“It’s a pretty big award so with that comes great responsibility. I hope to represent it the best way I can,” said Dang.