The first speaker was a man by the name of Toney Lineberry. When Lineberry was in highschool, he was in a car accident that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. His story truly makes me understand the importance of wearing a seatbelt. It also made me realize the importance of thinking about every decision I make, because in a split second, my whole life could change right in front of me.
The Second speaker was Attorney General Bill Mims. AG Mims was a very good speaker. One of my favorite of the week. He said something that has been sticking out in my head, "We [the delegates at Girls State] are often called the best and the brightest, but we shouldn't focus on being the best and the brightest. We should be focusing on our promise and potential." He talked about the Prinicple of Emapthy, and that we need to understand others feelings if we are going to be successful in public service. Another quote by him that has been making me think a lot is "If life is about something outside of yourself, you will be satisfied."
The third speaker was Lt. Governor Bill Bolling. When it comes to how Bill Bolling got his start in politics, I feel like we are very similar. His first political experiences were when he was 15, he did campaign work. This led to him want to be a Political Science major. I did my first campaign work when I was 16, and this had led me to want to major in Political Science when I go to college. He told us that we were the exception to the rule, because we already viewed politics and government as an important part of life. He advised us to keep the passion alive. There are two quotes that I believe are really relevant to me as I look not only at politics, but my life as a whole. The first is, "You are only limited by the limitations you set for yourself." The second is "Our diversity is our greatest strength and weakness."The fourth speaker was Republican Gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell. Since it was my first time hearing McDonnell speak, I spent more time listening to hime, than I did taking notes. The one thing that I did take down is advice that I think every American needs to hear, "Government is not a spectator sport."
The fifth speaker was one of my favorite, Governor Tim Kaine. This was also another person that I had not heard speak before, so my notes are limited. I can remember my friends laughing at me because I was so excited that I was going to get to hear Governor Kaine. I had one goal, and it was to get a handshake. I forced my friends to let my have an aisle seat when ever anyone was speaking, but most importantly I had to have it when Governor Kaine was speaking. Governor Kaine said gave a quote by Henry David Thoreau to describe his term as governor, "I love my fate to the very core and rind." At the end of his speech, I got my handshake. This picture is a blurry snapshot of just before the great handshake took place.
The sixth speaker we had was a women by the name of Nancy Redd, a Martinsville native, that wrote a book entitled "Body Drama." I can't find my notes on what she talked about, but from what I can remember at the moment, it was a lot about being true to yourself.
Our last speaker was someone that I had been waiting to hear all week, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds. This time, I had a specific goal. I wanted to meet Creigh Deeds. Deeds was the only speaker that arrived at Jarman Auditorium early. As I walked in, I flashed him a big smile. My friends all tried to get me to just get up and walk on out and go and talk to him, I wasn't going to risk getting in trouble. When one of my counselors walked in, my friends told her I had a question, and her reply was, "Is it for me, or Creigh?" She let me go out and talk to him, and I even got a picture.
The best qoute that I got from Deeds isn't relevant to my life at all, I just found it funny. He said,"I'm running for Governor, I'm not running for dictator."
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