Image of a computer screen showing attendees at an online meeting in Matheson City during Utah Girls State, June 7-11, 2021 | Image courtesy Judy Oar, St. George News
ST. GEORGE – In the American Legion Auxiliary’s recently completed Utah Girls State program, Ruby Ludlow was elected governor of Dixie High School and Ava Graff of Desert Hills High School was elected lieutenant governor.
Utah Girls State Participants Prepare to Film an Online Streaming Session, Location Not Specified, June 2021 | Photo courtesy Judy Oar, St. George News
The couple ran under the ticket of the Federalist Party during the five-day statewide conference in Utah held online last month.
Like the other 215 Utah Girls State students, Ludlow and Graff have just completed their junior year of high school and will be senior citizens starting this fall. Both also happen to be the newly elected presidents of the student body of their respective schools.
They were among a contingent of six southern Utah students selected to participate this year, said Judy Oar of St. George, who served as chair of the American Legion Auxiliary’s local selection committee.
“This prestigious annual 74-year national program is run in each state and is designed to teach girls in their senior year how our government works by actually doing it,” Oar told St. George News.
“These girls founded cities, counties, and state governments, campaigned, elected mayors, city councils, district and state officials, and conducted legal business, including writing laws, debating bogus issues and conducting bogus trials, all facilitated by actual incumbents,” added Oar.
The program also emphasizes proper flag care, patriotism, respect and appreciation for veterans, and responsible citizenship.
“I’m passionate about making positive change and I believe women are an integral part of it, ”Ludlow wrote in an Instagram post following her gubernatorial victory. “I loved my experience at Girls State and can’t wait to help other strong young women find and share their voices.”
The other four members of the Girls State contingent in southern Utah were Olivia Jenkins and Erin Gunn of Snow Canyon, Ariana Catardi of Dixie, and Raquel Griffin of St. George Academy. Jenkins and Griffin each won mayoral elections, while Gunn won their race for the House of Representatives, Oar said.
Ava Graff of Desert Hills High School Appears in Utah Girls State Election Campaign Run Online June 7-11, 2021 | Image courtesy Ava Graff, St. George News
Additionally, Graff was named the winner of a Samsung Scholarship of $ 1,250 during the conference. It has also been named as a replacement for the American Legion Girls Nation, a week-long program scheduled to take place in Washington DC in late July.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the 2020 Utah Girls State program to be canceled and the 2021 event to be virtualized, the Utah Girls State is expected to return next June as a face-to-face event in its traditional home, Weber state, on university campus Ogden, said Oar.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.
Jeff Richards, a Salt Lake City native with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are parents to five daughters. They also have two young grandchildren. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and photography.
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