By Emeline Sharpe
Print Press Editor
65th Annual Youth in Government General Assembly, Nashville, Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tennessee–Stella London, Governor of the 65th annual Youth In Government conference, is a senior this year at Mt. Juliet High School. She has participated in the program every year, growing from a scared freshmen to the confident governor we all know in four short years.
“I remember being at the governor’s banquet my freshmen year and seeing Tyler Dorr (2015 governor). From that point on I knew that I would run for governor,” says London. Since that moment her freshmen year, the program has done so much to change her life for the better.
Stella says, “It changed my career path and set me up to do want I want to do in life, I’m doing political science and music business in college because of Youth In Government.” The program has opened up many other opportunities for London as well. Last summer she was invited to attend the Conference On National Affairs, and next week she will be in Washington, D.C. to advocate for the YMCA Center for Civic Engagement and Tennessee Youth In Government.
As governor, Stella is responsible for working with her cabinet and chief of staff to pass legislation keeping her platform and the betterment of all Tennesseans in mind.
In a time of such political unrest, Stella says “My biggest theme for this conference will be unity and equity.”
She also knows that right now it is important to talk about the problem of violence in schools. Stella says that “finding a solution that works for every Tennessean, not just for those on one side of the aisle, is something that really matters to me and to Caleb (chief of staff) and to the members of the cabinet.”
She will also be focusing on education and social responsibility to foster the “Learners of Today, and the Leaders of Tomorrow,” which is her tagline as governor. Education, common sense gun legislation, prison reform, environmental, and transportation issues are all of the utmost importance, and are frequent topics by this year’s delegates.
Stella expressed her excitement for this year’s conference is the annual letter from the governor saying that “Being surrounded by like-minded young people annually at Youth In Government and upholding the YMCA Core Values of Honesty, Caring, Respect, and Responsibility throughout the conference is something I look forward to every year.”
– – –
Emeline Sharpe is a student at Signal Mountain High School.
