‘We formed our own government — I’m governor! — and created Florida’s future leaders’ | Opinion

Florida Boys State is the experience of a lifetime. God, honor, country — this is what drove us for seven very intense days this summer.

I am a senior at Christopher Columbus High School in Westchester and took part in the brilliant experience that is Florida Boys State, a program of The American Legion that was founded in 1935. Boys State is considered Florida’s premier youth leadership program.

It happens each year at Florida State University campus in Tallahassee. American Legion posts across the peninsula nominate two male rising seniors per school or area; about 500 boys from the Panhandle to the Keys descend upon the state’s capital to participate in this prestigious program.

I had the honor of being nominated to attend on behalf of American Legion Post #31. Participants are some of the most successful boys in Florida. We excel in JROTC, debate, student body government. We have founded and led clubs, captained sports teams, become entrepreneurs, been valedictorians. Boys State puts many of the skills developed from these leadership roles to the test.

While at FSU, we built a mock state replica of Florida from the ground up, forming city, county and state legislatures. By the time we were finished, we had created a fully functional state government. Boys State’s motto is to learn by doing — and that’s exactly what we did.

Elections were held every day. Delegates are given a randomly pre-established city, county and political party. Everyone in your dormitory hallway is part of your assigned city. Everyone on your dormitory floor is part of your assigned county. Each county consists of two cities. The Federalists and the Nationalists are the two mock political parties governing the state.

I was a proud Nationalist. Delegates already had to worry about whether they might win a preferred position, but there’s a second dynamic of possibly winning the position for your party. As a cherry on top, your roommate will always be a member of the opposite party. So, you’re basically “living with the enemy.”

There are all kinds of ways to represent yourself as a leader. Whether by giving a speech, engaging in a debate or helping form a group consensus, we had to be ready to argue for ourselves and what or who we each believe in regardless of how uncomfortable it might feel.

Participating in elections are one of the biggest components of Boys State. The process for electing leaders in all branches of government is detailed and immersive.

While competitions for elected seats began, Boys State complemented the program by continuing to educate the delegates on how their state and county work. Participants attended mini workshops over the vital, things, such as how a bill becomes a law, how to create an effective bill and how to create a winning campaign.

The revered Bob Knight’s Florida School of History provides every delegate a deep dive on our state’s history and how it effects us today. The Boys State School of Law prepares participants for the program’s own bar exam. If you pass, you can attain a position in the Boy’s State Judiciary, most likely on the Supreme Court. The courses hold weight and create a gateway to obtaining other high positions at Boys State.

All this makes the Boys State experience like no other. All of the rigor, including getting into, preparing for and participating in the program, is worth it once you have contributed to the machine that is the mock state.

Newly appointed Supreme Court judges conduct judicial reviews and make rulings in high-level cases. The legislature holds its session, passing, negating and debating bills created and drafted by fellow delegates. The governor merges everything together by implementing laws and managing the state with the help of his trusted cabinet.

I, surrounded by some of the smartest boys in the state and with the help of my cabinet, had the honor of being elected governor, the highest elected office at Boys State. My rise to this coveted position could not have happened without them. For all of the intense competition, I have never seen such an amazing, unbiased example of teamwork, camaraderie and support as I saw at Florida Boys State.

As a bonus, it all happens in the very seats where the actual lawmakers work — in Florida’s Capitol. And there’s another wildcard: Boys State’s very own “Fourth Estate,” its news team, the PressCorp. The team was dedicated to bringing the truth and news of the mock election process to our dorm doorstep every single day.

The greatest part is that we do all of this while making friends, creating a network, and synthesizing Florida’s greatest future leaders. We hope to see you here!

Martin A. Seals, a student at Christopher Columbus High School and was elected Florida Boys State 2023 Governor. For more information about the organization, go to falbs.org/boysstate/