Days 3 and 4 of our O'ahu trip were stationed at the State Capitol. The State Legislature was in session and we were lucky to have one of our class members, Rep. Chris Lee, not only share with us why he does what he does as a pubic servant but also give us access to the ins and outs of the Legislature. We also listened to a number of other speakers such as Joy Gold, Professor Dan Boylan, Mark Fox (Kai Fox's look-alike) of The Nature Conservancy, Garrett Webb (former ALP participant who got a bill passed on his first try!), and Luella Costeles (class participant and head of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation). Everyone had something different yet related to share about their experiences at the Capitol.
Each class member shadowed a selected State Representative or Senator for one day to get a feel for what these legislators do and the constituents they meet. It was an honor to be recognized by all of the House and Senate representatives when they were in session on the floor. Another highlight was giving a presentation to legislators, their staff members and representatives from Dept of Accounting and General Services about the "Capitol Ponds Project, which is being proposed by the Class. If the stars align, we could see the ponds transformed to be an agricultural and educational project featuring native fishes, plants, and aquaponic systems. Wouldn't that be great?!
No comments:
Post a Comment