Females are The Future

Hi ladies! My name is Caroline Heinen, and I am a reporter for Poppy Press. A little background: I’ve always been a girl from a loud house of six sisters. Yes, six. My three older sisters are girl bosses, as one might say, each being a very successful emergency medicine doctor. The middle child travels as an MLB wife with a baby girl on the way, and the sister above me is pursuing law in college. And the caboose? My little sister puts boss in the word girlboss. None of their achievements would have been possible without my biggest inspiration and supporter, my mom. I'm lucky to grow up around empowering females who inspire me to believe I can achieve whatever I want if I put my mind to it. Coming into Girls State, I was completely pushed out of my comfort zone, and I only knew one familiar face from my school, but she was in another parish. I had never taken a speech class or talked in front of more than ten people; I was beyond intimidated and even considered not coming for this reason. My mom pushed me to apply because I was in a difficult position in life, having trouble with friends and overall feeling very alone. She had an extensive neck surgery, and the recovery was nothing from easy, so I applied for her.

It was shocking how uniquely accomplished every girl was. It did not take long to realize that the people around me were not average; they were top-tier. Hearing the speeches and absorbing Monday's information about why the girls in my parish should be elected intrigued me. Not only did every girl serve, but they all deserved the spot. I ran for Officers of Communications with around ten other girls. That was one of the scariest things I have done in my life. My speech was simple, and I was not nearly as accomplished as these other girls. I am getting ready to write my following speech, assuming I lost, but then, sure enough, I won. It was downright unexpected because I couldn’t comprehend why they would select me out of all people. The next thing I knew, I was jotting down notes for my speech for the position of PPC, and shockingly enough, I succeeded in being elected. I was unsure why or how, but it kept going. I then ran for SPC. Although I didn’t win, it was still a valuable once-in-a-lifetime adventure that I hold intimate in my heart. I had the privilege of listening to Congresswoman Julia Letlow talk about her challenging journey to her current position in Congress. She inspired a vast quantity of girls who wanted to run for state office. People quoted her throughout the week saying, "When a door opens, run through it.” State elections started on Tuesday. These girls getting up on that stage unafraid of failure gave me a thought that continued to rummage through my head throughout the week: the future isn’t waiting. It’s already here, and it’s female. I genuinely believe this is an experience every girl needs to experience going into her senior year. I have gained 41 new sisters because my parish feels like family. I have the best time when we collaborate and work together seamlessly, as if we have known each other for years. It’s truly remarkable to see people my age with a broad sense of knowledge and personality that will improve the world. We are, without a doubt, America's future. Girls State is a glimpse into what is to come. We are the state's future lawyers, leaders, educators, and voices. My fellow SPC Camryn Landry from Sabine Parish said, “Getting the role of SPC showed me that I am capable and can do anything that I work hard to achieve.” Girls State has given so many girls the boost of confidence that is needed to be successful in life. I will diligently carry this profound experience close to my heart as I pursue my dream in college to become a doctor.