Southeast Valley High School seniors Aiden Anderson and Grant Farnham traveled to the nation’s capital as part of the 4-H Citizenship Washington Focus, which included a series of speakers, committee work, field trips, and social events.

“There were many cool and interesting parts of the Citizenship Washington Focus trip, though I personally enjoyed getting to see the Supreme Court building and embassy row,” said Anderson, who had not been to Washington prior to the 4-H trip.

“My favorite part of the trip to DC was being able to see all of the monuments and learn the history behind them,” added Farnham, who also was visiting Washington for the first time. “It was also really cool to go to Arlington National Cemetery and see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown.”

The Iowa 4-H delegation spent seven days in Washington learning about the nation’s history and developing civic engagement skills needed to be community leaders.

Grant Farnham

Students toured the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Supreme Court and Arlington National Cemetery. They explored national monuments and memorials, including the Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., World War I, World War II, Air Force, Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.

The delegation also checked out several museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Postal Museum and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Youth also visited Mount Vernon, National 4-H Council offices and the National Mall.

During a day on Capitol Hill, the group met with U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, before his remarks on the Senate floor. Grassley encouraged the young people to get involved and make their voices heard.

4-H youth also heard from speakers Tori Taylor, director of political outreach at the White House, and Mari Copeny, youth activist and philanthropist who is best known for raising awareness about the Flint, Michigan, water crisis and helping kids to embrace their power through equal opportunity.

They also heard from a journalism panel that included Maria Nicole Davis, editor-in-chief of The Liberty Champion; Peter Sloniewsky, senior opinion editor at The Hoya; Abigail Turner, editor-in-chief of The Eagle; and Mike Webb, senior vice president of communications at the News Literacy Project.

“I was able to gain valuable experience in communicating with others from different backgrounds from around the country that I never would have gotten at the same level here at home,” Anderson said.