Like any other West High student, Erica Choe (11) is a skilled athlete and member of multiple clubs on campus. But Choe is more. Not only did her tennis team win the Pete Brown First Serve Tournament, but she is also on board of Red Cross and CSF. It doesn’t stop here. Choe has recently been elected as a delegate for the California’s Girls State, a leadership program created by the American Legion Auxiliary which allows high school girls to experience and expand their knowledge in politics, patriotism, and what it means to be a United States citizen.

To apply for the program, only a few girls from each high school were nominated by a teacher or administrator. The requirements for applying are completion of junior year with at least one semester of high school remaining, United States citizenship, and a GPA of 3.500 and above, making Choe an acceptable candidate for this program. Tennis coach Mr. Jin nominated Choe and is proud to know that she has been chosen to represent West High School.

When hearing the news of her nomination, she was surprised and honored to be accepted into such a beneficial program. Choe said, “I think if given the opportunity, a lot more people should find out more about it. It exposes you to things you don’t normally consider and it’s a good opportunity to try something you’ve never done before.”

Although she spoke about her interests in math and science, Choe hopes that this experience will help her figure out if politics might be something she’d want to pursue in the future. She noticed that Girls State has, in fact, led to successful careers in politics like California’s 2014 governor, Britny Patterson. Choe also suggests that the underclassmen should look into the program, for Girls State will continue to provide young girls with many opportunities, especially for those who wish to develop a career in politics.