Faith is to believe what you do not see;
the reward of this faith is to see what you believe
Saint Augustine
For those who do not know Ms. Elisha Kenniv, let us provide a short but appropriate introduction to this promising young lady. Elisha is a charismatic, scholastically bright, and mature Cincinnati Christian High School student who most recently participated in District Four’s Oratorical contest on February 20th, 2022, placing a close second. Her oratory that she called “Morality, the Art of Keeping this Exceptional Nation” [1] was dynamic and masterfully executed—her stage presence was on par for what would be expected from a rising young leader.
Doug Dunaway American Legion Post 790 proudly sponsored Elisha for Buckeye Girls State (BGS) 2022 and it is now my honor to briefly explore the history of Girls State, Elisha’s week at BGS, and finally recap what I believe was ultimately a test of faith and leadership.
The American Legion Auxiliary National Convention of 1937 organized Girls State into a program to promote leadership, Americanism, and responsible citizenship in high school aged girls inspiring love for “God and Country.” [2] The tenets of the program currently include:
As Elisha began her journey with Buckeye Girls State (BGS), she arrived at Mount Union University in Alliance, Ohio with bold enthusiasm, grace, and a delightful free spirit welcoming a challenge, an opportunity for academic growth, and the making of new friends. What she got was much more than that. But let’s begin by focusing on some of what, I’m sure, she expected leaving the unexpected for the proverbial “icing on the cake.”
Elisha began her story in a first of two emails to Steve Lieurance, Doug Dunaway Post 790’s Adjutant. As Elisha’s sponsor, we were all glad to hear from her during her first week at BGS, especially Steve who helped with all the logistics.
Elisha recalled the week being a “massive learning experience…[with] some bumps in the road. During my hour of recreation on Tuesday I wasn’t feeling myself and everything was stressful and uncertain. However, I spent some time in my Bible and after a few tears and a nice discussion with the Lord, I was ready to brave Girls State once again.” [4]
Elisha remembered being pushed by her city at the county caucus to run for state party chair but lost the election. Despite a loss, she had the warmth of spirit to lay accolades upon her competitor writing “the girl who won did a fantastic job and, I believe, helped boost her confidence and leadership skills. It was great to see girls grow over the course of the week.” [5]
Another girl who won the state auditor’s seat caught Elisha’s attention as she reflected, “[I] was one of the first people to talk to her and she was pretty nervous about the week. By the end of the week, everyone knew her name. She [had] made great friends and had [grown] so much.” [6]
Elisha’s experience at BGS not only allowed her to experience how local, county, and state governments operate, but she went on to ask an important question—Why does government operate in this way? Elisha wrote, “I believe it is fundamentally important for kids to understand why our government runs the way it does.” [6] Elisha wanted to know more. A curious and insightful mind is a powerful one indeed.
Elisha described “the [BGS] experience [as being] extremely helpful because it helped me grow in ways I didn’t think I would.” [7] Indeed, Elisha was right as she did get much more than what she expected—now we finally get to the “nitty gritty.”
Steve Lieurance, Doug Dunaway’s Post Adjutant, had asked Elisha to be candid about her experience and here’s what we got!
As Elisha continued to elaborate about her experience at BGS, she wrote that her religious beliefs made her an outsider and that most teenage girls’ worldviews did not reflect her own as a girl of faith being seated as the Senate Chaplain. She felt that it made it hard for her to make friends, campaign, and vote. She went so far as to say that “I’m alright with being hated for the things I believe in…I knew that once I spoke my mind, I would be disliked…. I learned that politics can be [a] messy business. However, my passion for my country and young America still burns strong, and I have chosen to fight in a different way. Rather than working behind a desk writing bills, I want to be behind a microphone speaking about our history, politics, and philosophy hoping to shape our culture.” [8]
“I thought I’d go in guns blazing ready to run for some high position, but I ended up taking the easy road and remained unknown by most people…. I overcame that loneliness in the solitude of my dorm with my Bible and the Lord. That night I made a friend that I still hang out with and shares my worldview. I grew in understanding of myself and in my relationship with the Lord. That is why I am so thankful to my American Legion post for sending me!” [9] Elisha’s candor about her experiences at BGS is refreshing as is her honesty, strength of character, determination, kindness, and unwavering faith. Let’s take a closer look how Elisha succeeded in stepping into the shoes of a leader and conquering an unexpected test of faith.
I’m sure her story sounds familiar to many of us as we’ve struggled in our own way to fit in and play our part in the world in which we live. Leaders struggle everyday with questions about how to be a more effective leader and get the job done. Some leaders turn to family and friends to provide support in the things that matter to them, and others turn to their faith to provide strength, support and solace—some of us take a combined approach.
What interests me today is that BGS provided the infrastructure, the community, and academic setting to provide an excellent opportunity to challenge a young mind aspiring to become an effective leader. In addition, being a devout Christian, I’m inspired by a young person’s strength in their faith as they get tested. This is the “icing on the cake” for me.
As I finished reading Elisha’s emails, I asked myself two questions: did she rise to the level of a leader and what influence did her faith play? Tackling the first question, we explore what it means to be a leader.
A leader as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary can be something that leads—not particularly helpful or insightful.[10] Perhaps a leader is someone who steps up and says I got this—my beloved father-in-law or perhaps it’s the person that says I got this, but I can’t do it alone. I think if we asked a thousand people the same question, we would get a thousand answers. Yet, I believe that there are some qualities that help define a leader that simply cannot be ignored.
For the sake of argument, consider these qualities that help characterize a quality leader:
I’ll argue that Elisha demonstrated many of these leadership qualities as she candidly presented herself in her email writings.
As we near the ending of Elisha’s BGS story, I celebrate her strength and conviction as she triumphs over her test of faith. I believe her victory is clear in the points that follow.
For those members that do not believe, this is one man’s recounting and interpretation of a bright and compassionate young lady’s experience that led to her personal growth. For her, faith made the difference. For me, I applaud her accomplishment wishing well to those who struggle with similar pursuits whether or not they choose to believe.
It’s been my honor to play a small part in the telling of Elisha’s story at Girls State. She meets my definition of a leader, citizen, and American. It is my belief that Buckeye Girls State as well as the national collective of Girls State’s and Girls Nation reflect good values, love for our nation, and responsible citizenship.
Let us remember that our Constitution and, as a direct consequence, our government were founded upon strong principles—created by our forefathers and forged during a time of uncertainty as a new nation was born falling upon the heels of the American Revolution and our new-found independence. Although being constructed by some of the greatest minds such as Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, nothing man-made is perfect despite good intentions. Our government’s foundation grew from our legislative, judicial, and executive branches—it is the best we have. In fact, it is all we have along with the Bill of Rights to help guide this great nation. To some the Constitution may be imperfect for the modern world, but for me it has stood the test of time serving us well as I remember the American Legion’s unwavering words, “For God and Country.”
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