Dickinson Scholar Earns Distinction at California State Capitol

Zoe Kiefreider, a newly-selected Dickinson College Scholar, is already helping change the face of our country’s leadership as president of her YMCA’s Youth & Government delegation. Zoe and her team earned “Delegation of Distinction” at the annual Model Legislature & Court at the State Capitol, an honor awarded to the top 20 delegations of the 90 participating.

The Youth & Government initiative provides hands-on training and collaborative opportunities for high school students to increase their civic engagement skills. Competing delegations from across the state draft legislative solutions to society’s most pressing issues—such as prison reform, sexual assault, education reform, and climate change—and present their bills on the Assembly and State Senate floors during the leadership conference. All bills ultimately signed by the Youth Governor are sent to Governor Jerry Brown for his review.

“It was a privilege to present through the Youth & Government initiative because it helped me realize how capable I am of contributing positively to society,” said Zoe. “It is a big responsibility to speak about these topics that affect the lives of millions of California residents.”

Zoe hopes to study political science at Dickinson and she looks forward to becoming a social justice advocate on campus with the support of her Posse.

“I’m a curious person and I love to debate,” Zoe says. “I am always willing to grow and develop my perspective, and I want to share that with others.”