Emma Hughbanks now has more confidence talking to people and public speaking, and she may even get involved in politics in the future.

That’s thanks to participating in the 80th annual American Legion Auxiliary Hoosier Girls State, which took place June 19 to 25 at Trine University in Angola.

The leadership program is designed to educate young women of Indiana in the duties, privileges, rights and responsibilities of citizenship. It’s a week of living and learning the political system of the state through a mythical city, county and state.

It’s open to young women finishing their junior year of high school and returning for at least one semester of their senior year, in the upper half of their class academically and sponsored by a unit of the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Indiana. Homeschooled girls are eligible if they meet the same requirements.

There’s also a program for boys, Hoosier Boys State, that has been sponsored by the American Legion since 1937. This year, it was the week before Hoosier Girls State at Trine.

Hughbanks, 17, who is going to be a senior at Brownstown Central High School in the fall, was sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Unit 89 in Seymour.

“I want confidence with talking to people and giving speeches, like public speeches, because that was a lot of what we did,” she said. “I’m still undecided on a major (in college), what I want to do. I feel like politics, it kind of opened up that spectrum of maybe I want to do that. I never really thought about that before, and now, I kind of understand it better.”

A delegate should be interested in government, have leadership abilities, be honest, possess good character, show proper respect to the U.S. flag and have a love for God and country.

Hughbanks said her Advanced Placement U.S. history teacher, Paula Workman, nominated her as a delegate, and then guidance counselor Derrick Koch gave her the application to fill out and turn in so he could submit it.

“I asked her about it, like why she chose me, and she said that I was really up to date and I knew stuff about politics, and she felt like I was a good fit,” Hughbanks said of Workman’s reasoning for nominating her.

Jennie Maune, national executive committeewoman for the Department of Indiana and past state president, said units around the state have different application and selection processes. Students with a parent as an auxiliary or legion member are given priority.

The number of boys and/or girls chosen from an area depends on how many the local unit is able to sponsor. The cost for the week is $300, which covers meals, housing, activities and a T-shirt.

“The units are responsible to go to the schools,” Maune said of obtaining applicants.

This year, 150 boys and 235 girls were chosen to attend the program.

“I was kind of scared at first, really nervous because I didn’t know what kind of people would be there, what was happening really. The first day, no one really knew what was happening,” Hughbanks said.

Maune said the girls are told to get through the first day.

“I say, ‘Get through Sunday and then get into Monday, and finally, by Monday night, you should be OK,’” she said. “They are all in the same boat when they get there unless they’ve had a sister or somebody go.”

Hughbanks followed that advice and wound up having a great experience.

Once delegates arrive and register, they become citizens of Hoosier Girls State or Hoosier Boys State and are assigned to one of the two political parties — Federalist or Nationalist. This name change is necessary since citizens are elected as delegates for political party activities.

Citizens learn the political party structure, and they all can file and campaign for an elective office. Once elected, they serve in that office.

Each building where the students stay is a county, and there are two or three cities per building. Throughout the week, they have city and county meetings and conventions.

Hughbanks served on the campaign committee for the Nationalists in her building, and those people picked the theme and decorations for the two-party rally. Each party picked people to run for local and state positions, and they had to give speeches and participate in debates and primary and general elections.

Hughbanks ran for judge of the circuit court for Justice County, and she won that position. She also served on the election board and helped with voting.

After being elected, the girls were inaugurated, and they did role playing with their positions.

Throughout the week, Hughbanks said flag raising was conducted each morning, and city and county reflections were held in the evening. Her county also did snaps, where they wrote something they were proud of about one of the other girls and the counselors read them and gave them to the girls to keep.

Hughbanks also participated in the variety show on Friday night, where she did a dance with other girls in her county.

“I didn’t expect to do that, either,” she said. “I stepped outside my comfort zone. I enjoyed it because I’m usually the quieter person in school, but there, I could really be myself. I talked to a lot of new girls. I didn’t expect myself to do that.”

On the last day, scholarships and individual awards were handed out, and each girl received a certificate and a pin.

Hughbanks’ mother, Sarah Robinson, was glad to hear she enjoyed the experience and benefited from it.

“I can see that she has come out of her shell, and it’s just nice that she was able to get out with other girls, the pictures that I’ve seen that she has taken on her phone with friends,” Robinson said.