Students return from Close Up program with eyes on the future

Three Hot Springs County High School students recently took a trip to Washington, D.C., as part of the Close Up program, which believes "a strong democracy requires active and informed participation by all citizens."

Eric Herold, Courtney Yarrington, and Liz Rhodes were among the 68 high school students from around the country that descended on the nation's capital last Sunday to take tours, meet state representatives and debate other students on current issues affecting American society.

The program that seeks to give students a look at their democracy in action did just that. "Close up is a learning experience in many ways, because you learn a lot about the buildings there, the memorials, but also you learn how to debate with other people," said Eric Herold, as Liz Rhodes added, "And still keep your cool while you're debating."

"We had a lot of debates and discussions that were heated topics that are ongoing right now," Rhodes continued, "and we debated amongst ourselves on what we thought the right answer was."

The debates took place between students from all over the country, allowing different viewpoints to be exchanged and explained between the group. The three Hot Springs County students were the only students from Wyoming in the program that week. The program goes on all year.

The students were also able to meet Senators Mike Enzi and John Barasso, although Courtney Yarrington added that, "We only talked to them for about two minutes each, since they were so busy," but the brief meetings gave each of the students an understanding of how Barasso and Enzi had, "The same viewpoints, but different ways of attacking them."

It is clear to see that the brief trip had lasting impressions on Yarrington, Herold, and Rhodes."[Close Up] Reassured me that I want to go into the right field, " Herold said, adding that he has chosen Political Science as his future major in college.

"I've never really been involved in politics before," Yarrington said, "So it made me want to watch the news more and be involved in the presidential debates."

"I'm the same as her," Rhodes added. "I wasn't really aware of what was going in in politics, and this really put into perspective what was going on, and I learned a lot of stuff," she said, adding that she had learned about the Syrian Refugee crisis that has recently entered into the national dialogue. "I didn't realize how bad it was over there [in Syria], and what we're trying to do to help them."

Although the trip served its purpose in giving the students an insider's perspective into the American government in action, it also sparked a desire to continue learning and to one day return to the helm of the United States government. "I'm happy that I went, but there is always more that you can go and do," Herold said.

Yarrington and Rhodes both nodded in agreement, and when asked if they would return to Washington they quickly and emphatically said yes. "I'd probably want to go back to the war memorials," Rhodes said, adding that she would have liked more time to study them.

Although the trip was short, it is clear that Rhodes, Herold and Yarrington returned to Thermopolis with a new drive and plenty of new information. Herold and Yarrington, who will both be able to vote in the upcoming presidential election, said the trip made them more informed voters, and did not hesitate in the slightest when they said they felt confident that they could choose the right candidate to lead the country.