WATSONVILLE—Three students from Watsonville recently took part in a weeklong summer program in Sacramento that teaches young people to be part of their local and state governments.
The program—called Boys State—is sponsored by the American Legion. The event includes such activities as mock legislative sessions and court proceedings. Legion posts select high school juniors to attend the program. Expenses are typically paid by a sponsoring post.
The students—all incoming seniors—were Emmanuel DeHaro-Cervantes and Robert Caput from Watsonville High School, and Yahir Alverez-Delgado from Pajaro Valley High School.
“I am glad I attended Boys State,” DeHaro-Cervantes said. “Until the deadline I was hesitant about going, but I went and have no regrets about it.”
American Legion Boys State is among the most respected and selective educational programs of government instruction for U.S. high school students, said American Legion Commander Felipe Hernandez.
“It’s important that our post give back to the community and help foster young new leaders through programs like these,” he said.
Caput said his participation was “one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
“The highlight of the trip was meeting new people and the memories that we made in such a short amount of time,” he said. “It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I will never forget.”
American Legion is a veterans service organization dedicated to supporting people who have served in any branch of the U.S. Military. It will co-host the upcoming Veterans Day parade on Nov. 11.
