Serge’s Trip to D.C.

#MAPyouth Donacian & Serge in Washington, D.C.

By Serge Muharareni

Hello, my name is Serge and I was chosen to take part in the Close-Up, D.C. trip during the last week of June. I enjoyed the trip and learned so much from it. I hope to see more youth be able to go next year.

Close-Up, D.C. gives youth the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to learn more about our government. While I was there, we mainly focused on bills being passed in Congress. We had a chance to practice debates and voting on “practice bills” to have a chance to experience the way bills are passed in Congress. Those activities helped me understand how and why voting is important. After this trip, I realize that we all have a voice and we all should use it.

While in D.C., we went to visit our local representatives in Congress and the Senate.  We came up with questions and shared our questions with our local senators and representatives, or with their secretaries.

Serge at the American Civil War Memorial

While in D.C., I also had the chance to tour Capitol Hill, and see memorials, monuments, as well as some Smithsonian museums. All of these sites were memorable and also educational. Each monument, quote, and statue taught me more about the history of our country in a few minutes, than any one person could have explained in hours.

I learned a lot from this trip and now know more about my power on the government.  In addition to learning a lot, I also got the chance to meet other teenagers from around the country who share some of my interests and opinions about politics. It was great to gain all of this knowledge in one week. I finally know that for our government to function properly, we need to use our voices and speak up.