Reflections from the 2026 Youth Legislature Secretary of State

By Shruthi Lingam-Nattamai, Thurston Youth & Government Delegate, 79th Secretary of State

Throughout this past 24 hours, you all have taken leaps of faith. Whether that be in the presscore taking pictures, or being a committee chair learning parliamentary procedure, you all have taken steps to make session smoother for your fellow delegates in 2.5 weeks. Amazing job! Throughout session, you'll be put through many trials, and as leaders, I have full faith that you'll persevere through these tribulations and guide our newer delegates through session so that they will one day want to be like us. 

Personally, I vividly remember walking into opening session, seeing the procession of the real Major Officers using the REAL Rules of Order. It was fascinating to see all of these people I looked up to on one of the biggest stages in Washington State. While I longed to be them, I also remember thinking how "grown up" they were; as a 14-year-old, I couldn't fathom getting to that point. As an MO right now, as a 17-year-old, I can assure you, I STILL don't feel grown up. What I realized throughout these years is that leadership isn't defined by your age or even how wise you are. It's defined by your perseverance. It's defined by your responsibility. Most importantly, it's defined by how you handle conflict and your character while doing so. As people who volunteered yourself (or were voluntold to do this), you have already shown these characteristics, and I have full faith that you all will succeed in being a leader because you already are one. 

As a final note, know that you should be so proud of yourself. Remember that your leadership isn't defined by arbitrary facets of your personality, but rather by how you handle situations and help the delegates around you. I have no doubt that you all will carry the YMCA Core Values with you. Remember that as leaders and more importantly delegates of Youth and Government, change doesn't start later, it starts now. Take that with you throughout session and be the change you want to see in the conference and beyond.