CEDAR CITY — Three Catholic high school girls attended this year’s American Legion Auxiliary Girls’ State, held at Southern Utah University in Cedar City June 4-9. High school girls who have completed their junior year are selected to participate in the seven-day mock government program where they learn about civics and American government in a fast-paced, interactive program of campaigning, debating, voting and electing mock local and state leaders. Participants create and enforce laws, and participate in all phases of running a working government modeled on city, county and state levels. The Catholic Woman’s League (CWL) offers scholarships to young women from the Diocese of Salt Lake’s three Catholic high schools to participate in the program. "Scholarship recipients display academic achievement, leadership skills and participate in their community and school," said Alexa Maland, CWL Girls’ State representative. This year’s scholarship recipients were Angela Farias, Saint Joseph Catholic High School; Olivia Hughes, Juan Diego Catholic High School; and Megan O’Brien, Judge Memorial Catholic High School. O’Brien has been an altar server at Saint Thomas More Parish, where she is a member, has participated in the Ulster Project and service projects such as Catholic Community Services’ Saint Vincent de Paul Center and Lifting Liberia, an organization aimed at ending the cycle of poverty in Liberia’s youth. She also has won sportsmanship awards and scholarships for dancing. Farias is a member of Saint Mary Parish in West Haven, where she is a member of the choir and involved in recruiting members into teen ministry. She also belongs to several school clubs and served as president of La Chala, an ethnicity club. She is active at school in theater, drill team, choir and orchestra and was on the high honor roll. Hughes volunteers with many charities, including vacation Bible school at her parish, Saint Thomas More, and works with the National Charity League. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Quizbowl, the Environmental Club, Human Rights International, Pre-Med Club, is secretary of the Patriots Club and is academics editor of Juan Diego’s yearbook. All three delegates said they made new friends and had a life-changing experience. "We learned the parliamentary verbiage for running meetings smoothly," said Hughes, who served as a county delegate and a city secretary. "Running for office was a little nerve-racking because I had to speak in front of girls I had only known for a day and tell them why I should be the city secretary. I also learned about voting and how important it is that the representatives know what the voters want. It instilled such a national pride in me." Hughes learned from two University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics speakers that voters in their 20s hold stronger opinions than voters in their 60s, but the elder voters are more inclined to vote rather than just complain, she said. Farias liked learning the process of the court system and applying what she learned to a mock trial. She also served as a state delegate for the national party and a legislator for the House of Representatives. "As a legislator we created a bill called social promotion about holding students back if they have not passed the requirements," said Farias. "If they are promoted so they remain with their friends, they suffer the consequences in the end." O’Brien was elected city attorney and served as a prosecutor during a mock trial on bullying, she said. What stood out for O’Brien was the flag retirement. "They played the national anthem and it was very emotional because a lot of people had family members who had been in the armed forces," she said, adding that she learned to appreciate service men and women. "Now I look at the American flag with honor."
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