Attending Girls State this summer were seniors Lillee Couture, Sophie Herrmann, Ingrid Lundberg, Jackie Paule, and Vivian Shinall. Each one of these women had the opportunity to run for office, listen to speakers from all areas of Minnesota’s government, and meet other passionate, politically-inclined women from all around the state.

One of BSM’s seniors, Sophie Herrmann, had a very successful time at Girls State. She was not only elected by her peers to become the mayor of her city, but she was chosen to act as the lead defense attorney in a mock trial held at the state capital. “We all got to spend a day at the capitol, but I, specifically, got to try a case in the capitol chambers after listening to a panel of female lawyers and judges who were really inspiring,” Herrmann said.

Herrmann, however, was not the only successful one. At Girls State alone, there were BSM students acting as mayor, city councilmen, leader of the press corps, and other impressive titles––all of which were positions won due to their own merit and skills. These women were then able to use their roles in the different levels of government to create a real, functioning system. “Part of Girls State is running for different offices because the goal by the end of the week is to become completely autonomous. This created a competitive piece as there were large groups of girls all vying for the same positions,” Herrmann said.