Growing up, I always looked forward to the end of the schoolyear. I spent many summers playing church league baseball and as I got older, I found opportunities to use this time to make a difference in the lives of others by teaching kids to swim. It was a rewarding experience. I’ve met with many young Arkansans who use summer break to explore new interests and gain public service experience to help put them on a path to a meaningful and purpose-driven future.
We are blessed in Arkansas to have a variety of programs that invest in our youth and help foster a passion for lifelong civic participation. Many of these initiatives also include a trip to our nation’s capital where I’ve been honored to welcome students and share more about my role representing them and their families.
For more than 30 years, Arkansas’s electric cooperatives have sponsored a trip to Washington to help shape future leaders. This prestigious program brings together some of the best and brightest students with the aim of expanding their understanding of how policies and legislation support the needs of electric cooperative members at the state and federal levels.
I was pleased to visit with these students who were great representatives of our state. They used this opportunity to learn more about the role of members of Congress and how elected officials support Natural State families, communities and businesses.
One parent commented on social media that the experience would impact her daughter for “the rest of her life.”
In recent weeks I hosted students from Gosnell High School who traveled to Washington, D.C. to see the landmarks and monuments dedicated to individuals who shaped our country. The high schoolers were enthusiastic about history coming alive as they visited the sites and interacted with the additional context surrounding the figures they have learned about in school.
Exposing youth to opportunities that demonstrate the importance of civic engagement is an investment in our future. These programs serve to motivate student leaders and encourage an interest in public service.
A new or deeper passion for public service is something I’m confident Senate interns take away from their experience in my office. We are blessed to have dedicated individuals who use their summer to give back to Arkansans and serve their needs. Students from all across the state get a front row seat to the debates on Capitol Hill and learn how these policies impact the lives of Natural State residents.
My office also helps young Arkansans explore civics and public policy through the Congressional Youth Cabinet and Senate Page programs that each offer a unique, hands-on experience.
Bentonville High School senior and Miss Arkansas’ Teen Peyton Bolling served as a Senate Page on Capitol Hill for a semester last school year. She launched an Instagram show to inform her peers about the importance of giving back to the community. I was honored to be a recent guest on ‘Glimpses in Government’ to talk about civic engagement and finding purpose in helping others.
This is a lesson my college football coach Frank Broyles instilled in me that I continue to follow as I serve Arkansans. He shared how “there are two types of people in the world, givers and takers – live your life as a giver.” I’m proud to help continue to pass along this message to the next generation of leaders.
