Hello Everyone!

My name is Kimberly Willoughby and I am currently one of your Student Ambassadors for Broward County.

Last month, I attended my very first Broward League of Cities meeting. Though it was a little overwhelming at first, once I met most of our public officials and my fellow ambassadors, I started to really soak in the atmosphere of the meeting. Before the main reception, we were introduced to what the Student Ambassador Program would entail, and I immediately realized what an honor my position truly was.

We were then given an informative presentation by Kenneth Pratt, a legislative advocate, who discussed the Florida League of Cities 2011 Legislative Action Agenda. I was really impressed with the wide variety of areas the presentation covered, such as alternative and renewable energy, municipal police officer and firefighter pension plans and transportation-just to name a few.

After going to a presentation like that, I am glad that I am up to date on current events through debate and watching news broadcasts, because I feel you walk away with such a greater grasp on important issues when you know what is going on around you. Because of this, I would like to communicate to my school the importance of reading the newspaper, or just keeping tabs on government politics, because we are the next generation, and we will be what support our nation in the future. Personally, I will be able to vote in the next election, and I feel I need to learn even more in order to cast the right ballot, and I believe other teens my age should do the same.

One of my favorite parts of the evening was the Meet and Greet/Service Hall before dinner. I really enjoyed meeting so many of our county’s public officials. To be honest I was a little star-struck! Politics may seem like a boring topic to many of my peers, but after being there- and constantly joking about party affiliations- I know that government is one of the most active ways to get involved.

During the Meet and Greet they also had a Service Hall, where organizations from around the county got to present the work they do for others. Being the president of my school’s Key Club, a branch of the service organization Kiwanis, I really enjoyed seeing all of these organizations that helped the community. I made sure to bring back some pamphlets so I can explore further into the organizations.

Speaking of service, one thing I noticed when I was at the earlier presentation was Mayor Debby Eisinger discussing the bill to ban texting while driving. I immediately had a connection to the cause of organizations because after speaking to the Key Club members of Cooper City High School, my own club instituted a school wide action plan where we had students sign the petition to ban texting while driving. I found it intriguing to see how our hard work of getting signatures would rise up to all levels of government.

After a wonderful night of politics, and making new friends, I was glad to sit down next to my fellow ambassadors and enjoy our delicious meal. Bon Appetit for now!

By: Kimberly Willoughby