Nicole Kush

Kaley O’Hara (11) stood before 300 students crowded in the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Heart pounding, palms sweating, she was ready.

She began to address the reasons for why the Republican bill should be passed.

As she gazed out over the sea of faces, she made sure that each person in the audience could hear the power in her voice, and understand the validity of her words.

Then, after she finished her final statement, a wave of applause broke out, echoing through the marble corridors in the building. She had done it; the bill would be passed.

From Sept. 29 to Oct. 4, O’Hara took part in the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. where she had the chance to learn about the U.S. government and take part in a number of simulations to understand how it works.

“[APEH teacher Martin] Coughlin nominated me to go last year because he thought I would be interested in it,” she said. “I decided to go because I thought it would be a good opportunity and I have always been outspoken about my political beliefs.”

On her last day of the convention, O’Hara was chosen to be the Republican Minority Leader in a mock Congressional session, which was the culmination of the entire trip.

For days leading up to the speech, O’Hara and the rest of the students assigned to the Republican leadership prepared strategies and points for their argument to pass a mock bill that dealt with making English the official language of the country and creating stricter immigration laws.

“I had so much fun working and preparing for it,” O’Hara said. “But the most rewarding part was actually giving the speech. Before the speech, I thought, ‘we got this.’ I was so focused and just delivered my points. I felt like I was doing something for a reason.”

Although preparing and delivering the speech was a worthwhile experience, O’Hara said that taking on such a high leadership position came with its own set of hardships.

O’Hara had stayed up until 1 a.m. trying to finish the last piece of her speech the night before the model Congress. She put all her energy into every word and made sure it all flowed.

However, the next day only five minutes before the session would start, O’Hara found out she would have to rewrite her whole speech.

She found out she had to add more persuasive aspects to her speech and when she walked into the Department of the Interior, all she had prepared was now useless.

“When I agreed to be the minority leader I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” O’Hara said. “I tried to stay focused during the session and just accept the fact that I had to change it.”

O’Hara said she not only felt pressure from the clock, but also pressure to represent her party’s beliefs.

“We were told we were the underdogs and I could either make some inspiring speech or let my party down,” O’Hara said. “So in that respect, I felt alot of pressure. I was really nervous and I was so relieved when [the speech] was all over. Everything paid off in the end.”

O’Hara said that being able to learn and work in the nation’s capital has broadened her perspective for a potential future in politics after college.

“I found out that this type of work could be enjoyable,” O’Hara said. “But even though I saw how rewarding it could be, I also don’t know if I want to be in a position where I can impact people everywhere. But overall the experience

taught me that I have so many options for my future.”