Educational Narrative- Danielle

For my education narrative I will be writing about my experience at Girls State, specifically the knowledge I gained from the activity I chose, Women in Government. At Girls State, most of the things I had to do were mandatory, but we were all allowed to pick one activity that we were interested in. Some people chose karate or yoga, but since I have always been interested in women's involvement in government it made sense for me to choose Women in Government. This activity was where me and other girls sat and listened to successful women in government tell us how they got to this point and how they have remained there. Going in I had expected for it to be somewhat boring, but had hoped to gain some knowledge of how I, as a woman, could make it into the political arena someday. I did not expect, however, that I would have the opportunity to hear the most influential woman I have ever heard speak in my life. This woman, Colonel Kimberly S. Lettner, is the chief of the Capitol Police. While the women who spoke before her talked to us about how to blend in with the men and not act so feminine because it will hurt you if you are trying to get ahead in the political world, she spoke completely opposite of them. She told us it was more than acceptable to act like a woman and dress like a woman, because we shouldn't feel like we have to act manly to achieve success. Her feminism inspired me to research the woman's suffrage movement and even write my assigned 8-page research paper for my English class on it. She was the most influential person I encountered at Girls Sate, much more so than our Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. She did much more than talk about her successes and how to be like her. She instilled a passion in me for women's rights and women's involvement in politics.