Every new day brings a different adventure for Lindsay Saginaw, an energetic Huntington High School junior who was recently elected to serve as the student government’s president during the 2017/18 school year.
Ms. Saginaw spent four days in Albany learning all the ins and outs of state government. The teenager participated in the League of Women Voters of New York State’s Students Inside Albany conference. She learned about the program through her friend, Amanda LoScalzo, a Huntington junior and the district’s Chair of Humanities, 7-12 Joseph Leavy, who encouraged her to apply.
One of 60 high school students in the state selected for the initiative, Ms. Saginaw was in Albany from Sunday through Wednesday. She applied for the program and was interviewed this past winter.
“The conference is an intensive four day training experience designed to immerse students in the process by which public policy is proposed, enacted and changed in New York State and educate them as to how they can influence and affect this process,” according to the LWV website. “Albany insiders discuss the operations of state government, including how policy is shaped and enacted. Students acquire knowledge of the disparate forces that influence policy development. Participants are afforded the opportunity to observe Assembly and Senate sessions and to shadow their Assembly member and Senator.”
After traveling to Albany via Amtrak and settling in, it didn’t take long for Ms. Saginaw and her colleagues to get down to work. “We arrived Sunday afternoon and that night we learned about some of the inner workings and structure of the New York government from a LWV member,” she said. “The next morning we walked from our hotel up to the capitol and toured the Senate, Assembly and ‘Governor’s Hall’ and office, learning about the history of the capitol.”
Shadowed Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci
Lindsday Saginaw has been elected GO president for 2017-18.
Ms. Saginaw learned some important historical facts that most New Yorkers aren’t aware of. “This is a special year because it is the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the state, which was three years earlier than at the federal level,” she said. “The League of Women Voters was formed after this amendment to the state constitution in 1917 for the purpose of voter education.”
Each of the 60 conference participants spent about three hours with their respective member of the Assembly and even shadowed them in the state legislative chamber. “My Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci was very informative, teaching me about his role on different committees and how voting occurs in the Assembly,” Ms. Saginaw said.
Conference participants were introduced on the floor of the Assembly before listening to a debate about a proposed bill. “Assemblyman Lupinacci is on the Higher Education Committee so I sat in on one of its meetings and listened as proposals for several new laws were discussed,” Ms. Saginaw said. The exhausting day for the students was capped off by a nighttime cruise on the Hudson River.
Toured NYS Court of Appeals
The following day saw conference participants tour the New York State Court of Appeals, which isn’t far from the capitol building. “It is the highest court in the state and sees around 220 cases per year,” Ms. Saginaw said. “We also listened to two lobbyists that morning; one from Environmental Advocates and one from the Alliance for Quality Education. They taught us how to effectively lobby for a cause. In the afternoon, we went back to the capitol and this time were assigned a senator to shadow. Mine was Carl Marcellino.”
The Huntington junior found her way to Senator Marcellino’s office and met with several of his aides. The senator’s office was a hotbed of activity. “I actually heard a bill that I watched get proposed the day before in the Assembly get lobbied for,” Ms. Saginaw said. “We went down to the Senate floor and I not only had an opportunity to observe, but because of an empty seat, I got to sit right next to Senator Marcellino on the Senate floor for the session. We witnessed one of his bills on traffic law get passed and several bills get debated.”
Sat Alongside Senator Carl Marcellino
Just about every minute of her time in Albany was an opportunity to learn something new. “In the Assembly there is electronic voting, but in the Senate there is still verbal voting,” Ms. Saginaw said. “Senator Marcellino talked to me about what inspired him to pursue politics and about the dynamic between parties regarding the passing of legislation. It was very interesting to learn about the democratic process and see the state legislature in action.”
After dinner that night, the conference participants went bowling and they were also able to meet with a young Albany area assemblyman. “He talked about his experience running for office, public financing of campaigns and how to run a campaign,” Ms. Saginaw said.
The journey north was an eye-opening experience for the Huntington teenager. “I met many other students from all over New York State who are interested in everything from pre-med to business,” Ms. Saginaw said. “It was amazing to see the democratic process in action and shadow my local assemblyman and senator on the floor of the capitol.”
The League of Women Voters of Huntington sponsored Ms. Saginaw’s participation in the conference. “Learning about lobbying was especially intriguing because it is the perfect example of how everyday citizens can get involved in government and influence policy,” she said. “Everybody can make a large impact if they take the time to lobby their government. I am looking to major in political science in college, so this conference was very exciting for me.”
The Huntington junior has already visited several colleges and her current list of favorites includes the University of Michigan, Cornell University and Washington University in St. Louis. “They all have very strong political science programs, so I am very excited to pursue politics in my future education,” Ms. Saginaw said.
