Colony senior returns from Senate program

March 22, 2005

CASEY RESSLER/Frontiersman Valley Life Editor

Katelyn Baldwin has spent a month in Africa, where she saw a refugee camp and ventured into a jungle in search of gorillas, and earlier this month she talked with some of the top U.S. government officials, including President George W. Bush, on a trip to Washington, D.C. What's left for her?

How about graduation" Baldwin is a senior at Colony High School, and she recently returned from the U.S. Senate Youth Program, where she was one of two Alaskans who participated in the prestigious program. While there, she met the president, as well as the U.S. Surgeon General.

"It was definitely the best experience of my high school career," Baldwin said. "They treated us like royalty, and we got to meet a lot of guest speakers."

The program gives two students from every state, as well as the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity, the chance to study government for a week in Washington, D.C. Each student also receives a $5,000 scholarship for their university studies.

Baldwin said she found out she was selected in December. After being nominated by Colony principal Cyd Duffin, Baldwin had to write several essays, and fill out an application. Also included in the selection packet were SAT scores.

Baldwin said she was impressed with the opportunities that were presented to the participants.

"There were so many 'best things' about the trip. We were talking to Justice Kennedy in the Supreme Court about flag burning, and for every question someone asked, he'd ask us five more," Baldwin said. "We also got to talk with the Surgeon General, who grew up in the Bronx."

Program participants also got the chance to meet the president, and tour the White House, seeing "special rooms that the public doesn't get to see," Baldwin said.

And while all of the "official" events were impressive to Baldwin, she said she enjoyed the chance to meet other students who were interested in politics just as much.

"One of the most amazing things was how we all came together. It was split pretty evenly between Republican and Democrat, but everyone was very respectful of what others thought," Baldwin said. "We talked about a lot of different things, like the war in Iraq, affirmative action, what's happening in Sudan."

In 2003, Baldwin went to Rwanda for a month. She shared her impressive stories and photographs in a three-part series that was published in the Frontiersman that fall.

Baldwin said that after spending time in Africa and now the nation's capital, she's very interested in public service as a career choice. First, though, she has to decide on where she's going to college.

"I've applied to eight schools. I think my top three are probably Stanford, Brown and Penn. I'll find out in April.

"Going to Africa sparked my interest in public service, and this trip reaffirms it for me," Baldwin said. "I really liked meeting with government officials."

If the past results of the U.S. Senate Youth Program are any indication of future happenings, Baldwin will enjoy a long career in politics. Former participants who went on to noteworthy political careers include Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, former Ambassador to West Germany Richard Burt, Presidential Advisor Karl Rove and former Presidential Advisor Thomas "Mack" McLarty. Other alumni include U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Robert Henry, former Lt. Gov. of Idaho David LeRoy and numerous state legislators around the country.