Sophomore Seanne Fernandes spent May 17-22 in Washington, D.C. as part of a program called “Close Up Washington D.C.” This program allows accepted students to travel, connect with other students, explore Washington D.C., and debate issues affecting our nation.
Fernandes was accepted and selected as the only ambassador for the district, making this a very special and unique experience for her.
“I was really excited,” said Seanne when asked how she felt being accepted into the program. “I was really surprised, because literally out of hundreds and thousands of students in our district, there’s so many people.”
Although Seanne felt surprised when she was accepted into the program, no one else, especially her teachers, had any doubt that she would succeed.
“Seanne is a super thoughtful student in history and has definitely shown an interest in different topics we’ve discussed throughout the year, especially when it comes to current events,” said History teacher Kate Curtin.
Curtin initially heard about the opportunity and was encouraged to have students of her choice apply. She then selected students who were hard workers and interested in both historical and current events.
“Basically, the program was asking for students from our school or from our area that would be interested in applying to go to Washington, D.C.,” said Curtin. “I sent it to Seanne so that she could apply, and she was accepted out of everybody.”
This program, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson, allows students to connect with official policymakers and members of Congress. Students use their experiences and past knowledge to debate pressing issues within our nation. Topics ranged from politics to healthcare, and the students were given a space to voice their opinions and explain their importance.
These debates became an enjoyable experience for the students who were especially interested in the topics. For Seanne, being one of the only ambassadors from Massachusetts, the healthcare debate was most interesting.
“We discussed a lot about healthcare in Massachusetts,” said Fernandes. “I feel like we’re, like, a healthcare hub as a state.”
Not only did these debates discuss the surface level of healthcare, but the students were also able to learn about and debate the policies and decisions being made that affect our healthcare.
“We got to learn more about, like, the policy, on a first-hand level. So, it was really interesting to see how leaders and policy makers in our country and in our state have an effect on things that happen right ahead of us,” said Fernandes.
