Easton Student to 'Shoot for the Moon' at Boys Nation

One week before 17-year-old Easton resident Drew Beck was scheduled to attend American Legion's Boys State last month at , his father was shipped to Afghanistan for active duty in the military.

At the program, Beck had the option of running for a number of positions in a series of mock elections. The most prestegious of which were two "U.S. Senator" positions. The winners earned trips to Washington D.C.

As he was leaving, Beck's father told him to aim high.

"He was like ‘go get that – you can get it,'" Beck said. "So, that gave me a lot of confidence and I started running."

Beck won the position, along with Scituate's Zack Drazo. The two beat out 30 other candidates and earned a trip to Washington D.C. from July 22 - July 30 for American Legion's Boys Nation. At the program, the 48 participants (two from each state except Hawaii) have the opportunity to meet the President of the United States.

According to the American Legion, Boys Nation "provides a week of government training in Washington, D.C, comprised of lectures and forums with visits to federal agencies, institutions, memorials and historical sites."

"You get to go to the National Mall, see some of the monuments and then have your debates and your arguments," he said. "You get to shake the President’s hand."

Beck, who is entering his senior year and is a captain of the Cross Country team, said he decided to attend the Boys State program while he was looking over applications to the Naval Academy in Annapolis and the United States Military Academy in West Point. He thought Boys State would be a step in the right direction and Boys Nation would be a step even further.

He said he wants to become an officer in the military and possibly venture into politics afterwards.

Similarly to Boys State, mock elections will be held at Boys Nation. Positions such as President, Vice President and Secretary of State will be up for grabs. Beck said he'll continue to follow his father's advice.

"I'll probably end up running for President," he said. "Why not shoot for the moon?"

To learn more about Boys Nation, click here.