The Garden Street Academy community’s Max Sweeney, an 11th-grade student, has been elected lieutenant governor of SoCal Junior States of America (JSA) for the 2017-18 school year.
JSA is an organization whose goals are “an exchange of ideas through stimulating student debates, thought talks, problem solving and a variety of simulations.” The organization is completely student-run at both the national, state, and school level.
As lieutenant governor, Sweeney will act as second in command of the Southern California State. This entails appointing and leading the SoCal cabinet, executing state fund-raising and activism initiatives, and moderating the student senate, which creates the JSA bylaws.
This is the second highest executive position for the organization in Southern California.
At the Spring State event on April 23, Sweeney won the majority vote for the position before an assembly of roughly 1,000 students. His platform focused on increasing the transparency of the student senate and creating reforms for fairer elections.
“As LTG, I will embrace the forgotten opportunities that the JSA constitution gives the LTG — opportunities to be more responsible than just ‘presiding over the Senate,’ ” Sweeney said.
“I will work with the next governor to be a second champion on the causes that define our JSA experience like expansion, conventions, debates and fundraising,” he said.
Sweeney’s campaign promise, which incorporated the JSA motto “Be the People,” seems to have struck the hearts of the JSA voters, who voted for him in a landslide victory.
“I will never quit. I will never stop working and fighting to make this organization a more welcoming, fun and enlightening experience for every JSA member, no matter who they are, what connections they may have, or who they supported in this campaign,” Sweeney said.
“I’ve driven thousands of miles from Santa Barbara to dozens of events like this because JSA is my passion, and you are my dedication. I know that together we can ‘Be The People,’ ” he said.
— Angela Jevons for Garden Street Academy.