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UNDER THOSE CLOUDY SKIES. TWO NEBRASKA YOUTH ARE HEADING TO WASHINGTON, D.C. THE UNITED STATES SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM SELECTED JAXON WONDER FROM NORRIS HIGH SCHOOL AND MADELINE PATRICK FROM GRETNA EAST HIGH SCHOOL. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S IZZY FUNFAIR DEUEL IS SPEAKING TO PATRICK. FIRST, MADELINE PATRICK THOUGHT SHE FAILED HER INTERVIEW FOR THE UNITED STATES SENATE YOUTH PROGRAM. I ANSWERED IT SO CONFIDENTLY, I SAID RUTH BADER GINSBURG. THEY WERE LIKE, WRONG, WRONG. SO IMAGINE HER SURPRISE WHEN THE NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WALKED INTO HER CLASS. SHE WAS LIKE, YEAH, YOU ACTUALLY WON THE SCHOLARSHIP. AND I WAS LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? PATRICK WILL SPEND A WEEK IN D.C. MEETING LAWMAKERS AND SEEING THE SIGHTS IN PAST. THEY’VE GONE TO THE PENTAGON. THEY’VE MET WITH THE SUPREME COURT. THEY MET WITH THE PRESIDENT. HER GOAL ISN’T TO END UP AT THE TOP OF THE HILL FLAT OUT. I WAS LIKE, I’M NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN BEING THE NEXT PRESIDENT. I REALLY JUST WANT TO BE A JOURNALIST. AS THE EDITOR IN CHIEF OF THE WINGSPAN. GRETNA EAST’S ONLINE STUDENT NEWS, IT’S PATRICK’S WRITING THAT DRIVES HER. I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR JOURNALISTS TO BE REALLY WELL-ROUNDED AND KNOW, BE EXPERTS ON THE GOVERNMENT AND BE EXPERTS ON THE THINGS THAT THEY COVER. PATRICK STARTS COLLEGE IN THE FALL WITH THE HELP OF THE PROGRAM’S $10,000 SCHOLARSHIP. SHE PLANS TO MAJOR IN JOURNALISM, FOCUSING ON POLITICS. I DON’T REALLY LIKE TO SHY AWAY FROM NEWS THAT AFFECTS PEOPLE, AND THAT I KNOW PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO KNOW, SO I TRY TO, YOU KNOW, TOUCH ON MORE OF THE POLITICAL ASPECTS, ESPECIALLY FOR A HIGH SCHOOL AUDIENCE. POLITICS AFFECT PEOPLE IN MY HALLWAYS, WHETHER THEY KNOW IT OR NOT. AND SO I THINK IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THEY PAY ATTENTION TO THAT. HER ITINERARY ISN’T FINALIZED, BUT PATRICK HOPES TO MEET THE SUPREME COURT AND TOUR TH
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‘Politics affects people in my hallways’: High schooler heading to DC for youth senate
Madeline Petrick is a senior at Gretna East High School and will represent Nebraska in the United States Senate Youth Program.
At first, Madeline Petrick thought she failed her interview for the United States Senate Youth Program.”They asked me who the first female justice was, and I answered it so confidently. I said, ‘Ruth Bader Ginsburg.’ Wrong,” Petrick said.So, imagine her surprise when a representative from the Nebraska Department of Education walked into her class.”She was like, ‘Yeah, you actually won the scholarship,’ and I was like, ‘What are you talking about?'” Petrick said.Petrick will spend a week in Washington, D.C., with over 100 other high schoolers from across the country, including Jackson Wondercheck from Norris High School. Throughout the week, the youth delegates will meet lawmakers and see the sights.”In the past, they’ve gone to the Pentagon, they’ve met the Supreme Court, they’ve met with the president,” Petrick said.Despite all the governmental focus, Petrick’s goal is not to end up on the top of the hill.”Flat out, I was like, ‘I’m not really interested in being the next president. I really just want to be a journalist,'” Petrick said.As the editor in chief of The Wingspan, Gretna East’s online student news, it’s Petrick’s writing that drives her.”I think it’s really important for journalists to be really well-rounded and be experts on the government and be experts on the things that they cover,” Petrick said.The Gretna East senior starts college in the fall with the help of the program’s $10,000 scholarship. She plans to major in journalism, focusing on politics.”I don’t really like to shy away from news that affects people, and that I know people really need to know, so I try to touch on more of the political aspects, especially for a high school audience,” Petrick said. “Politics affects people in my hallways whether they know it or not, and so, I think it’s really important that they pay attention.” Her itinerary has not been finalized, but Petrick hopes to meet the Supreme Court and tour the White House. She leaves for Washington, D.C., on Saturday and will spend the entire next week doing excursions with the USSYP.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
At first, Madeline Petrick thought she failed her interview for the United States Senate Youth Program.
“They asked me who the first female [Supreme Court] justice was, and I answered it so confidently. I said, ‘Ruth Bader Ginsburg.’ Wrong,” Petrick said.
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So, imagine her surprise when a representative from the Nebraska Department of Education walked into her class.
“She was like, ‘Yeah, you actually won the scholarship,’ and I was like, ‘What are you talking about?'” Petrick said.
Petrick will spend a week in Washington, D.C., with over 100 other high schoolers from across the country, including Jackson Wondercheck from Norris High School. Throughout the week, the youth delegates will meet lawmakers and see the sights.
“In the past, they’ve gone to the Pentagon, they’ve met the Supreme Court, they’ve met with the president,” Petrick said.
Despite all the governmental focus, Petrick’s goal is not to end up on the top of the hill.
“Flat out, I was like, ‘I’m not really interested in being the next president. I really just want to be a journalist,'” Petrick said.
As the editor in chief of The Wingspan, Gretna East’s online student news, it’s Petrick’s writing that drives her.
“I think it’s really important for journalists to be really well-rounded and be experts on the government and be experts on the things that they cover,” Petrick said.
The Gretna East senior starts college in the fall with the help of the program’s $10,000 scholarship. She plans to major in journalism, focusing on politics.
“I don’t really like to shy away from news that affects people, and that I know people really need to know, so I try to touch on more of the political aspects, especially for a high school audience,” Petrick said. “Politics affects people in my hallways whether they know it or not, and so, I think it’s really important that they pay attention.”
Her itinerary has not been finalized, but Petrick hopes to meet the Supreme Court and tour the White House. She leaves for Washington, D.C., on Saturday and will spend the entire next week doing excursions with the USSYP.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
