Not too many high school juniors would voluntarily give up a week of summer vacation to attend a program focused on state government, parliamentary procedure and lawmaking.

For Cranston High School East class of 2020 students Genesis Aldana, Sofia Calderon, Eden Jutras, Kailey Lenk and Destiny Thorpe, however, participating in the Girls State leadership and citizenship program was an impossible opportunity to pass up. There were no male East students nominated for the Boys State program this year.

The program is sponsored by the American Legion and has been running since 1937 for the boys, while Girls State, sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary, has been running since 1947. Every state has a program except for Hawaii.

Students are nominated by teachers and administrators to participate. This is the 11th year Cranston East has sent students.

Students are chosen based on their interest in the program, academics, community service, family history of military service and future goals, such as attending a military academy or pursuing a political career.

The program not only boosts a transcript, it gives the students the opportunity to apply for the prestigious American Legion and Samsung scholarships.

During this year’s program, there were local government speakers throughout the week. The highlight of week involved debating bills on the floor of the Rhode Island Senate at the State House. The students were encouraged to introduce bills that would spark debate.

Destiny introduced a bill related to opiod abuse and a proposal to ban plastic bottles in Rhode Island. Genesis focused on the teacher pension system.

While the bills failed, both girls feel they learned a lot. The process of writing and debating bills, they said, is difficult.

“Bills take too long to get passed, too much red tape,” Destiny said.

“We got to sit in the actual chairs, [with the] actual buttons for voting … We learned trying to create change is a fun idea, but we saw how long it takes and how many views people had,” Genesis said. “We tried to understand each person’s perspective, tried to see both sides. Being in government is fun. But it is a really long process.”

She added: “The people you meet there will impact your life. We got and gave good advice. You become a family. We all will keep in touch.”

Both girls recommend the program to any rising senior.

Retired Lt. Col. John Murray, instructor for East’s JROTC program, said: “The drive and hard work these young ladies display on a daily basis, along with their quest for achievement, I hope inspires other JROTC cadets and students here at East to follow in their footsteps.”