Are you intrigued in being exposed to various political ideologies? Are you hoping to pursue a government, public policy, or public sector career post-graduation? If so, the Junior State of America chapter here at College Park, also known as the JSA Club, may be of interest to you.

What originally started as Ernest Roger’s “Conference of Youth on American Ideals” in Los Gatos, California is now prevalent in thirty-five states and eight territories. Junior State of America is an organization aiming to prepare participating students to contribute to their community and its government by teaching leadership and various skills. More than 500,000 students take part in the organization, and when polled, 73% of the participating students say that their experiences with JSA have helped them with communication with the public and with adults. 80% of them feel that their knowledge of domestic and international affairs has improved.

“JSA is one of the largest student-run organizations in the nation,” said senior Jacob Arce, president of the College Park chapter. “It’s a bunch of different schools. Texas is a really big state for it.”

College Park’s JSA chapter has previously provided students chances to interact with guest speakers such as Morgan Zegers, founder of the Young Americans Against Socialism organization, and has given information and opportunities regarding conventions and events on both the state and national level. In 2020, they also traveled to Washington, D.C.

“I want to talk to the youth- my peers- about different political ideas,” Arce said. “People our age don’t know much about politics, I think that that knowledge should be available to everybody.”

On September 12th, College Park’s JSA Club held their first meeting of the year, in which they joined the designated BAND, took a political ideology quiz, and discussed the pros and cons of the different systems of health care. Snacks were also provided for attendees. Among other things, JSA’s goals for the school year ahead were stated to include (but are not limited to) doubling the current membership, volunteering for community service, and making the student population aware of important affairs such as voter registration and assisting as necessary.

If you are interested in attending the next meeting of JSA, you can follow their Instagram page, @cp.jsa, for more information.