The Junior State of America (formerly the Junior Statesmen of America), abbreviated JSA, was an American

non-partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...

youth organization The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for Minor (law), minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted othe ...

. The purpose of JSA was to help high school students acquire leadership skills and the knowledge necessary to be effective debaters and civic participants. JSA was sponsored by the Junior State of America Foundation Inc. (JSAF, a 501c(3) non-profit corporation), which also operated the JSA Summer Schools. On August 2nd, 2024, it was announced that the organization would be closing and ceasing operations on August 31, 2024. In response, new organizations were formed by former JSA students and staff: Civic Leaders of America (CLA) by the school year student leaders and Students for Civic Impact by summer program students and staff.

Overview

As a student run organization, students managed every aspect of the organization, from the local chapter level to the regional level. The members elected local, regional, and state leaders to organize JSA conventions, conferences, and political awareness events. As an organization, JSA was organized by regions congruous with the geographic regions of the United States. At the high school chapter level, chapter presidents organized local activities and meetings. On the regional level, mayors and vice mayors organized regional one-day conferences. On the state level, Student

governors A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and

lieutenant governors A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

organize overnight conventions and other activities. On the national level, governors were in communication with each other planning convention themes and steering the direction of the organization. The JSA program included debates, "thought talks," problem solving, and a variety of simulations designed to provide members with an informed viewpoint and the ability to analyze important issues. Simulations include, for example, writing mocked legislation, debating and voting on it,

Model Congress Model Congress gives students a chance to engage in a role-playing simulation of the United States United States Congress, Congress. Such events are hosted by the Congress itself, Rutgers University, American International College, University of Ma ...

(with a

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

), crisis simulations, and other activities. JSA provided an opportunity to meet other students from outside their home communities who shared similar interests; furthermore, debate conventions usually included various evening activities like dining downtown or impromptu debate. In addition to the school year program, JSA held multiple one to three week Summer School sessions for JSA members and other high school students. These were held at multiple locations across the nation including

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

and Georgetown, and week-long symposium on state and local politics are held in several states. (In years past, JSF has held Summer School sessions at

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of C ...

, and

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

). Sessions include college-level courses on political science, economics, history and public speaking. Students from all over the world, (most notably England, France, Turkey, Micronesia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hong Kong) attend Summer School. The revenue from these programs helped fund the school-year JSA program.

History

JSA was founded in 1934 by Professor E. A. Rogers at the Montezuma Mountain School in

Los Gatos, California Los Gatos (; ; ) is an List of municipalities in California, incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located in the San Franc ...

, as an experiment in self-government. Students at the Montezuma Mountain School set up their own three-branch government, complete with a student court, police force, executive officer, and legislative branch. The students would draft, pass, and enforce their own rules. The JSA has had liaisons with other similar organizations outside of the United States. For example, throughout the 1980s the Pacific-Northwest State developed close ties with the British Columbia Youth Parliament (BCYP). The Southern California state also added the American School in Honduras as a chapter in 2006 and the school's chapter attended the annual Congress convention. There are two active chapters in

St. Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...

and St. Thomas, USVI.

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

has traditionally one or two chapters. All Caribbean chapters attend either the Northeast State or Mid-Atlantic State conventions. Since its inception in 1934, more than 500,000 student members have participated in the JSA. JSA closed down on August 31st 2024. The reasons cited for closure included reduced student participation and increasing costs.

Notable alumni

Notable former members include

Leon Panetta Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is an American retired politician and government official who has served under several Democratic administrations as secretary of defense (2011–2013), director of the CIA (2009–2011), White House chi ...

(Former Secretary of Defense, Director of the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

White House Chief of Staff The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States. The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...

United States Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the ...

, and Member of the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

), Mike McCurry (Press Secretary under President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

Edwin Meese Edwin Meese III (born December 2, 1931) is an American attorney, law professor, author and member of the Republican Party who served in Ronald Reagan's gubernatorial administration (1967–1974), the Reagan presidential transition team (1980� ...

(Attorney General under President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

), Jennifer Palmieri ( White House Communication Director under President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

) businessman and inventor Charles R. Schwab, and

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New Engla ...

. There are also 3 current JSA alumni serving in Congress:

Mark Takano Mark Allan Takano ( ; born December 10, 1960) is an American politician and academic who has served in the United States House of Representatives since 2013, representing California's 41st congressional district from 2013 to 2023 and the 39th c ...

Derek Kilmer Derek Christian Kilmer (born January 1, 1974) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Washington's 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party ...

, and

Zoe Lofgren Susan Ellen "Zoe" Lofgren ( ; born December 21, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer serving as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Part ...

Other notable alumni

* Christopher Cabaldon (Former Mayor,

West Sacramento West Sacramento (also known as West Sac) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. The city is separated from Sacramento by the Sacramento River, which also separates Sacramento and Yolo counties. The population was 53,915 at the 2 ...

) *

Lanhee Chen Lanhee Joseph Chen (; ; born July 4, 1978) is an American political scientist, lawyer, and academic who has served as a member of the Amtrak Board of Advisors since December 2024. Chen is also the David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public ...

(David and Diane Steffy Research Fellow,

Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace and formerly The Hoover Institute and Library on War, Revolution, and Peace) is an American public policy think tank which promotes personal and economic ...

and Former Policy Director,

Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2012 The 2012 presidential campaign of Mitt Romney officially began on June 2, 2011, when former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States, at an even ...

) *

Andrei Cherny Andrei Hugo Cherny (born August 4, 1975) is an American politician and businessman. He served as the chair of the Arizona Democratic Party from 2011–2012. He co-founded Aspiration, Inc., an eco-friendly financial firm based in Marina del Rey, ...

(Former Chair,

Arizona Democratic Party The Arizona Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its headquarters are in Phoenix. Along with its main rival, the Arizona Republican Party, it is one of two major parties in the state. The Arizon ...

) * Fred Dutton (Chief of Staff, Governor

Pat Brown Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown (April 21, 1905 – February 16, 1996) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 32nd governor of California from 1959 to 1967. His first elected office was as district attorney for San Francisco, and he ...

) * Michael Edelstein (President, International Television Production at

NBC Universal NBCUniversal Media, LLC (abbreviated as NBCU and doing business as NBCUniversal or Comcast NBCUniversal since 2013) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate that is a subsidiary of Comcast and headquartered at 30 ...

) *

Dario Frommer Dario J. Frommer (born October 22, 1963) is an American politician. He is a former member of the California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the Calif ...

(Former Majority Leader,

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

) *

Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the List of ambassadors of the United States to India, United States ambassador to India from 2023 to 2025. He was the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles f ...

(Mayor,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

) *

Chris Gethard Christopher Paul Gethard (; born May 23, 1980) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He was the host of ''The Chris Gethard Show'', a talk show based in New York City, which aired from 2011 to 2018. He hosts the podcasts ''Beautiful Stories ...

(comedian) *

Beth Labson Freeman Beth Ann Labson Freeman (born November 21, 1953) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Biography Freeman was born Beth Ann Labson in 1953, in Washington, D.C. She received ...

(

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

United States District Court for the Northern District of California The United States District Court for the Northern District of California (in case citations, N.D. Cal.) is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, De ...

) * Ted Lempert (Former member,

and President, Children NOW) *

Bill Lockyer William Westwood Lockyer (born May 8, 1941) is an American politician and lawyer from the state of California. A Democrat, he served in both houses of the state legislature, having been a member of the California State Assembly from 1973 to 19 ...

(

California State Treasurer The state treasurer of California is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the Government of California, government of the U.S. state of California. 34 individuals have held the office of state treasurer since statehood. The incumb ...

) *

(Member,

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

) *

Frank Mankiewicz Frank Fabian Mankiewicz II (May 16, 1924 – October 23, 2014) was an American journalist, political adviser, president of National Public Radio, and public relations executive. Life and career Frank Mankiewicz was born in New York City ...

(Press Campaign Director,

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

's Presidential campaign and former president,

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

) *

Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (né Gerstley; born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biogra ...

(Rock Historian and Critic) *

Bob Mathias Robert Bruce Mathias (November 17, 1930 – September 2, 2006) was an American decathlete, politician, and actor. Representing the United States, he won two Olympic gold medals in the Decathlon, at the 1948 and the 1952 Summer Games. As a Re ...

(Former Olympian and

) *

Stanley Mazor Stanley Mazor is an American microelectronics engineer. He is one of the co-inventors of the world's first microprocessor architecture, the Intel 4004, together with Ted Hoff, Masatoshi Shima, and Federico Faggin. Early years Mazor was born t ...

(Designer of the first microprocessor) *

Norman Mineta Norman Yoshio Mineta (, November 12, 1931 – May 3, 2022) was an American politician from California. A member of the Democratic Party, Mineta served in the cabinet of the United States for US Presidents Bill Clinton, a Democrat, and George W. ...

(Former

Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

and

Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

) * Darcy A. Olsen (President & CEO, The Goldwater Institute) * Nicholas Petris (Former Member,

) * Joe Simitian (Former Member,

) *

(

) * Ethan Watters (Author, Urban Tribez and co-founder, San Francisco Writers Grotto)

Structure

State map of the Junior State of America

The JSA consisted of 10 states which correspond roughly to the geographic territories in the United States: the Arizona State, Mid-Atlantic State, Midwest State, Northeast State, Northern California State, Ohio River Valley State, Pacific Northwest State, Southeast State, Southern California State, and the Texas State. Each state was broken into one or more regions. If a state contracts below a certain operational level, the Council of Governors may vote to make the state a territory. The Council may also break states into multiple territories if they become too large to be effectively managed. The sponsoring JSAF was a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

with an adult

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

trustees Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

and paid staff. The JSA receives administrative and programming support from the JSF.

Mid-Atlantic State

The Mid-Atlantic State was composed of chapters from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and North Carolina. The Mid-Atlantic State was divided into the New Jersey Region (NJ) and the South Atlantic District (PA, MD, DE, VA, NC). The New Jersey Region was the most populated JSA region in the nation. Winter Congress was held in Arlington, Virginia, while the Spring and Fall State Conventions rotate between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Woodbridge, New Jersey. The Mid-Atlantic state had the largest number of voters in its 2024 election with over 12,000 participants. The MAS also set recent records for most delegates in a Fall State, Winter Congress, and Spring State Conventions. Current Governor: * Atharv Parashar (

West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (also known as WW-P North or North) is a four-year public comprehensive high school located in Plainsboro Township in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school serves students in n ...

) 2024–2025 Current Lieutenant Governor: * Rishav Choudhury ( South Brunswick High School) 2024–2025 Current MAS Mayor: * Siddharth Shankar ( South Brunswick High School) 2024–2025 Current MAS Vice Mayor: * Rashi Jakhotiya ( Secaucus High School) 2024–2025

Midwest State

The Midwest State encompasses Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. Current Governor: Yadira Padilla ( Morton West High School) 2024-2025 Current LTG: Brooklyn Ramey (

Bloomfield Hills High School Bloomfield Hills High School (BHHS) is a State school, public Secondary school, high school in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan, Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States. It is the sole comprehensive high school of the Bloomfie ...

) 2023-2024

Northeast State

The Northeast was composed of chapters from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. It boasted two regions, the New England Region (VT, NH, MA, RI) and the Empire Constitution Region (CT, NY). Winter Congress was held in Arlington, Virginia, while the Spring and Fall State Conventions rotated between Boston, Massachusetts, Stamford, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island. Current Governor: * Hannah Guo (

Amity Regional High School Amity High School is a regional public high school located in Woodbridge, Connecticut, United States. It provides high school education (grades 9–12) for the children in the towns of Woodbridge, Orange, and Bethany (which together form Regiona ...

) 2024–2025 Current LTG: * Rei Seltzer (

Staples High School Staples High School is a public high school in Westport, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Horace Staples, who founded the school on April 26, 1884. Westport is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (along with ...

) 2024-2025 Current ECR Mayor: * Evan Kindseth (

) 2019–2020 Current ECR Vice Mayor: * Scott Weinstein ( John Jay High School) 2019–2020 Current NER Mayor: * Zachary Roberts (Westford Academy) 2019–2020 Current NER Vice Mayor: * Caroline Riemer (Westford Academy) 2019–2020

Northern California State

NorCal was composed of chapters from California, Nevada, and Utah. It had four regions: the Golden Gate Region, the Central Valley Region, the Greater California Region, and the East Bay Region. NorCal was the oldest JSA state in the country, dating back to the founding of the organization in 1934. Fall and Spring State were held in San Jose, California, and Winter State was held in Sacramento, California.

Ohio River Valley State

The Ohio River Valley (ORV) includes chapters from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Tennessee. The state contains the Southwest District and North Central District. Fall State was held annually in Columbus, OH. Winter Congress was held annually in Washington, D.C. Spring State was held annually in Florence, Kentucky. The ORV government was composed of a program director, a governor, a lieutenant governor and a cabinet. The cabinet contains ten different departments, with 10 directors and 20 specialists. Current Governor: Soham Gunturu ( New Albany High School) 2023–2024 Current Lieutenant Governor: Sugath Suravarapu ( New Albany High School) 2023–2024

Pacific Northwest State

The Pacific Northwest has chapters from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The state has three regions: the Great Pacific Region (western WA), the Inland Empire Region (eastern WA, ID, MT, WY), and the Oregon Region (OR). Current Governor: Jeff Lin
Liberty High School
2023-2024 Current Lieutenant Governor: Andrew Lindsay
Newport High School
Current Lieutenant Governor: Abigail Elperin
Issaquahh High School
2024-2025 Current GPR Mayor: Mehr Tarafdar
Skyline High School
2024-2025 Current OR Mayor: Ishana Senthil
Westview High School
2024-2025 Current IER Mayor: Michael McCauley
Central Valley High School
2024-2025

Southeast State

The Southeast state comprises chapters from South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. Current Governor: * Sophia Mora ( Miami Lakes Educational Center) 2024–2025 Current Lieutenant Governor: * Carmel Indianer ( Naples High School) 2024–2025

Southern California State

The Southern California state comprises southern California, Arizona (added August 2023), small parts of Nevada and New Mexico. Current Governor: * Taylor Beljon-Regen (

Palisades Charter High School Palisades Charter High School (usually colloquially known as Pali or Pali High and abbreviated as PCHS) is an independent charter secondary school in Los Angeles, United States. The high school serves the neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades, ...

) 2024–2025 Current Lieutenant Governor: * Vianny Nuñez ( Alliance Collins School) 2024–2025 Current Speaker of the Assembly: * Allison Cho( John A. Rowland High School) 2024–2025 It was organized into four regions:

Angeles Region

The Angeles Region consists of greater and Downtown Los Angeles, all the way to West Hollywood. It was the largest region of Southern California.

Southern Empire Region

The Southern Empire Region consists of Orange County and Anaheim.

Channel Islands Region

The Channel Islands Region consists of coastal regions and Santa Barbara.

Arizona Region

The Arizona Region consists of Arizona and parts of New Mexico. It was absorbed into the Southern California State in 2023.

Arizona State

Past Arizona Governor: Maritza Roberts Padilla
BASIS Tucson North
2022-2023 Rebecca Sanchez
Cibola High School
2021-2022

Texas State

The Texas State compromises of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Their Fall and Spring State conventions are held in Houston, Texas, but pre-pandemic, their Fall State conventions were hosted at the Texas Capitol Building in Austin, Texas. Texas State's Winter Congress was hosted in also hosted in Houston, but was previously located in Washington, D.C., with the Mid-Atlantic State. Their state elected officials include the following: Texas Junior State Governor: * Kaitlyn Hou (

Plano Senior High School Plano Senior High School (commonly Plano, Plano Senior High, or PSHS) is a public high school, public secondary school in Plano, Texas, serving students in grades eleventh grade, 11–twelfth grade, 12. The school is part of the Plano Independ ...

) 2022–2023 ** Chief of Staff: Kalina Peneva ( Bellaire High School) Texas Junior State Lieutenant Governor: * Mitsuki Jiang ( Bellaire High School) 2022–2023 ** Chief of Staff: Kyle Letterer ( Plano West Senior High School) Texas Junior State Speaker of the House: * Ferzine Sanjana ( Saint Mary's Hall) 2022–2023 ** Chief of Staff: Brandy Xie (

Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS) is a two-year residential early entrance college program serving approximately 375 high school juniors and seniors at the University of North Texas. Students are admitted from every region of ...

) The Texas Junior State was organized into two regions and two counties, with mayors serving as leaders of regions and administrators serving as leaders of counties:

Gulf Coast Region (GCR)

The Gulf Coast Region consists of the Gulf Coast of Texas, with Houston serving as the center of the region. The 2022–2023 Gulf Coast Mayor was Dorothy Okoro.

Alamo Capitol Region (ACR)

The Alamo Capitol Region consists of the center of Texas, encompassing cities such as Austin and San Antonio. The 2022–2023 Alamo Capitol Mayor was Khushi Patel.

Panhandle Metroplex County (PMC)

The Panhandle Metroplex County consists of the Northeast quadrant of Texas, encompassing cities such as Dallas, Plano, and Fort Worth. The 2022–2023 Panhandle Metroplex County Administrator was Gabriel Bo.

Rio Grande County (RGC)

The Rio Grande County consists of the Southern tip of Texas, encompassing cities such as McAllen and Edinburg. The 2021–2022 Rio Grande County Administrator was Lauren Marquez.

JSA events

Fall and Spring State conventions

Fall State and Spring State are statewide overnight conventions at regional hotels and convention centers. Both consist of debates, thought talks, and special activities, including political fairs and a casual dance. Fall State was one night, students typically arrive at the hotel on a Saturday and return home the following day. Spring State, by comparison, usually takes place over three days, students arriving at the hotel on a Friday and returning on Sunday. At this longer spring convention JSA members in attendance elect regional leaders for the upcoming year. Both Fall and Spring State conventions are highlighted by prestigious keynote speakers, with past speakers including

Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (March 22, 1930 – June 8, 2023) was an American Media proprietor, media mogul, Televangelism, televangelist, political commentator, presidential candidate, and charismatic movement, charismatic minister. Rober ...

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American lawyer and political activist involved in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. He is a Perennial candidate, perennial presidential candidate. His 1965 book '' ...

Colin Powell Colin Luther Powell ( ; – ) was an Americans, American diplomat, and army officer who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African-American to hold the office. He was the 15th National Security ...

, Jahana Hayes,

Tom Malinowski Tomasz "Tom" Pobóg Malinowski (; born September 23, 1965) is an American politician and former diplomat who served as the U.S. representative from New Jersey's 7th congressional district from 2019 to 2023. A Democrat, he served as Assistant S ...

Fareed Zakaria Fareed Rafiq Zakaria (; born January 20, 1964) is an Indian-born American journalist, political commentator, and author. He is the host of CNN's '' Fareed Zakaria GPS'' and writes a weekly paid column for ''The Washington Post.'' He has been a c ...

and

Joe Trippi Joseph Paul Trippi (born June 10, 1956) is an American political strategist. A member of the Democratic Party, Trippi most notably served as campaign manager of Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid, and has served as a political commentator for ...

Winter Congress convention

Winter Congress was structured similar to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

: students are divided into Senate and House of Representative committees. Student delegates pass bills in committees and then in floor sessions of the Senate and House. If a bill passes both houses, it becomes JSA law.

Regional conferences

There are also smaller, regional conferences and chapter-conferences ("chapter-cons") which occur on a local level. Regionals are run by the Mayors and Vice-Mayors of Regions along with the Regional Cabinet members that they appoint. Chapter-cons are usually hosted by chapters at individual schools and are not officially JSA-sponsored events.

Elected positions and cabinet

As a student-run organization, each JSA state holds elections yearly at the Spring State conventions to elect student elected officials who serve one-year terms. Each state elects a Governor and Lieutenant Governor, as well as various other offices that differ from state to state. These officials each appoint a small cabinet that helps them run the organization by completing tasks such as organizing convention logistics, writing debates, producing publicity materials, founding new chapters, and running websites. There was also a National Cabinet appointed by the Council of Governors. JSA officials and cabinet members are typically extremely dedicated to JSA, and often spend many hours per week doing their jobs.

Summer programs

After the school year was over, JSA and JSF offer numerous summer programs. The biggest programs, which are held at major universities, are Summer Schools, which are conducted by the Junior Statesmen Foundation and offer students an opportunity to study local, state, or national government at an advanced level. These programs are meant to prepare young leaders for active participation in public affairs. These programs, at which students take a full semester of two courses over three or four weeks, for which they can receive high school credit, take place at

, Georgetown,

, and

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. Along with debate and regular classes (including Advanced Placement and Law Classes), students participate in a vigorous Speaker's Program in which notable speakers talk about current issues to the students. Past speakers have included Mike McCurry, Andy Card,

Ben Bernanke Ben Shalom Bernanke ( ; born December 13, 1953) is an American economist who served as the 14th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014. After leaving the Federal Reserve, he was appointed a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Insti ...

Lee H. Hamilton Lee Herbert Hamilton (born April 20, 1931) is an American politician and lawyer from Indiana. He is a former member of the United States House of Representatives and a former member of the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council. A member of th ...

Dennis Kucinich Dennis John Kucinich ( ; October 8, 1946) is an American politician. Originally a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Kucinich served as U.S. Representative from Ohio's Ohio's 10th congressional district, 10th congressional district fro ...

Chuck Hagel Charles Timothy Hagel ( ; born October 4, 1946)Katie Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. Since 2016, she ha ...

Brian Williams Brian Douglas Williams (born May 5, 1959) is an American journalist and television news anchor. He was a correspondent for ''NBC Nightly News'' starting in 1993, before his promotion to anchorman, anchor and managing editor of the broadcast in ...

Geraldine Ferraro Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's nominee for vice presiden ...

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2 ...

Ted Rall Frederick Theodore Rall III (born August 26, 1963) is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-cart ...

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...

Ed Meese Edwin Meese III (born December 2, 1931) is an American attorney, law professor, author and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who served in Ronald Reagan's Governorship of Ronald Reagan, gubernatorial administration ...

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August ...

, Sebastian Gorka, and

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Sarah Elizabeth Huckabee Sanders ( Huckabee; born August 13, 1982) is an American politician serving as the 47th governor of Arkansas since 2023. Sanders is the daughter of Mike Huckabee, who served from 1996 to 2007 as Arkansas's 44th governor ...

. Summer institutes are also held in different regions, such as the summer symposium of

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

. These events are four- to five-days long and venture into politics, world studies, history, national security and discussions of current events. Princeton's event was nicknamed "Princetitute." These events used to be known as symposia. Every summer, the newly elected governors each choose a select few from their states or territories to attend the Montezuma National Leadership Summit (affectionately known as "Zuma"). The summit was held in early-to-mid August at Presentation Center in

, the former site of the Montezuma Mountain School where JSA was founded in 1934. Students who are selected to attend this summit learn more about the history and national dynamics of JSA. Being selected for attendance was considered one of the ultimate JSA honors, and many of the students that attend lead future years of the Junior State. Subsequently, two or three students are selected out of class to become a National Montezuma Foundation Student Advisor, working with the Junior State Foundation to preside over budget and funding allocations for the National Montezuma Summit.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Junior State Of America Youth organizations based in the United States Political organizations based in the United States Youth model government 501(c)(3) organizations Burlingame, California Organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area 1934 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1934