GirlGov Program Sends Local Girls to Harrisburg

One hundred high school students from southwestern Pennsylvania—including several from and surrounding school districts—had the opportunity to walk a day in a state legislator’s shoes last week as part of the Women and Girls Foundation’s annual GirlGov program.

The goal of the program is to inspire teen girls to become more informed, engaged, and interested in the political process.

 “This year is especially exciting because the girls will be with their legislators as they are poised to vote on the state budget,” said Heather Arnet, chief executive officer of the Women and Girls Foundation. “The girls have a lot of questions they want to discuss with their legislators; from proposed cuts to education and environmental regulation to proposed tax breaks for natural gas drillers, the girls have opinions on all of these issues. They are a very informed and passionate group!”

GirlGov, a program created in 2009 by a group of teen women working with the Women and Girls Foundation, provides teenage women in SWPA the opportunity to experience what it is like to be a state legislator for the day.

Fifty legislators were  assigned teen “shadows” for the day. Participants in the program shadow a Pennsylvania state House or Senate representative for an entire day at the Capitol in Harrisburg—attending committee meetings, constituent and staff meetings, and legislative sessions and lunch with their representative or senator.

Participating legislators included all three lawmakers from the Canon-Mac area—state , D-North Strabane, state , D-Cecil, and state , D-Canonsburg.

Shadowing Neuman was Lauren Jurcevich of Canon-McMillan High School. Shadowing White was Katherine Marodi from Bentoworth and Heaven Sensky from Canon-Mac. Shadowing Solobay was Alecia DiMarzio from Bentworth and Ashley Rhoads from Jefferson Morgan.