MADISON, Ala. — Most teenagers spend their summer on vacation or at the beach, but one Bob Jones High School student traded in his beach towel for a title from our nation's capitol.
Cameron Cummings represented Alabama in Washington, DC at the American Legion Boys Nation program. He was fortunate enough to walk away with a Senate seat and a position as Vice President of Boys Nation.
According to the Boys Nation website:
Two representatives from each of the 49 Boys States represent their state at Boys Nation in Washington, where the young leaders receive an education on the structure and function of federal government.
The first Boys Nation – then called Boys Forum of National Government – convened at American University in Washington in August 1946. The 1946 American Legion National Convention adopted the event as an official youth activity. Three years later, it became American Legion Boys Nation.
At the event, each delegate acts as a senator from his Boys State. The young lawmakers caucus at the beginning of the session, then organize into committees and conduct hearings on bills submitted by program delegates.
Senators learn the proper method of handling bills, according to U.S. Senate rules. Participation in the political process is emphasized throughout the week, including organization of party conventions and nominating and electing a president and vice president.
The week of government training also includes lectures, forums and visits to federal agencies, national shrines, institutions, memorials and historical sites. On Capitol Hill, Boys Nation senators meet with elected officials from their home states.
Cummings remembers getting the call. "They said, 'Congratulations, you won', and they said 'call your parents'. I was very excited. I was jumping up and down."
What did this mean to him? He said, "Personally, for me, what I've learned is getting to know people one on one on a personal level."
Along with winning the Senate seat, Cameron is the Student Government Association (SGA) president at Bob Jones, and if that wasn't enough, he also started his own honor society, the Cyber Security Honor Society.
Even though he's had a busy summer, Cummings says he wouldn't take back a minute of it, and, "Hopefully as I grow older and continue to mature I can be bigger than just Cameron Cummings."