Senior Earns Position as Boys Nation Senator, Travels to D.C.

Over the summer, CBA senior Vincent Price received the honor of serving as a Boys Nation Senator in the 79th session of the American Legion Jersey Boys State.

Price traveled to Washington, D.C. to collaborate and compete with the country's best young political minds. He even had the opportunity to meet New Jersey Representatives, Senators, and the Secretary of Defense.

Upon his return, Price presented Principal Neil Begley '96 with a commemorative plaque, which was made even more special due to the fact that Begley also participated in Boys State when he was a teenager. 

Read more below from Price about his experience.

line

Placed into one of sixteen "cities" that had forty-nine other delegates I had never met before, it felt like I was truly starting from square one. Unbeknownst to me at the time, these gentlemen would come to be more than just friends, but rather, men of a brotherhood I would come to be a part of. Together, we would resolve simulated city issues, elect ourselves to city and county positions, and work together to campaign to put me on the state, and eventually national, level. 

I had been exposed to what American politics truly are; not a selfish desire to push forward one's own agenda, but truly working with others to establish laws that would create the best state and country possible. Consensus, not compromise. 

After receiving a bid among fifty-five other delegates to enter the Nationalist primary, I was called to speak before an audience of four hundred delegates, making the case for why I deserved their support to advance to the next level of competition. In this setting, I not only presented my vision and leadership qualities but also responded to questions that tested my ability to think quickly and persuasively. Once selected, I delivered a speech and engaged in debate on pressing and controversial national issues, an experience that sharpened my public speaking skills, deepened my understanding of political discourse, and challenged me to articulate my views with both clarity and conviction.

Ultimately, I would hear my name called to represent New Jersey on the national level at American Legion Boys' Nation. This experience was transformative, to say the least, and exposed me to the true core of American politics. I would have the opportunity to meet New Jersey representatives and senators, the Secretary of Defense, and many more impactful members of our society. Furthermore, I became knowledgeable about the problems and circumstances of those from around the country, becoming close with those from as near as Pennsylvania and as far as California.

Boys' Nation provided me with the opportunity to become exposed to politics on the national level, as well as push forward ideas and issues that I had believed needed to be confronted. In the two pieces of legislation I would author and later pass, I called for reform on veteran and first-responder mental health, as well as providing tax and funding incentives for the introduction of state educational programs in financial literacy and artificial intelligence awareness.

I cannot overstate the impact these two programs had on my life. I couldn't feel more passionate about our country and my desire to exercise necessary, transformative change that would shape our country for the better. Not only did it re-instill my confidence in our political system, but also encourage me to help others feel the same.