Samo junior Aidan Blain becomes finalist for California Youth Governor

When California Youth and Government next convenes in Sacramento on Feb. 15, Samo junior Aidan Blain (’20) will be one of three contenders running for the title of California Youth Governor. Should he win, Blain would be the first Samo student in 25 years to hold such position. This job entails overseeing all 3,500 students in the program and signing or vetoing bills passed through the Youth and Government senate, as well as representing California in the national government assemblies.Blain and two other candidates, Piper Samuels from Culver City High School and Bayo Collins from Long Beach High School, have already advanced in the running as top three at the Jan. 19 Youth and Government conference held in Fresno, CA. This opportunity has allowed Blain to communicate with a variety of students from all over California and learn how to present his campaign in accordance to what will most benefit the program and its members.“[People are always] coming up and talking to me, telling me what they like or didn’t like. I think that’s the best part of it, just meeting people and developing new relationships,” Blain said.Blain’s campaign manager and University High School student Nate Davis (’20), is extremely proud of Blain and the hard work that they have done to get him this far in the race. Blain’s advancing networking skills have benefited him throughout the process. 0“Aidan’s been amazing and he stands for great things and he loves interacting with people, catalyzing change and genuinely being positive. It definitely feels like this is a deserved victory,” Davis said.Blain is not the only Samo student to earn such a highly ranked position in the Youth and Government program. Although Santa Monica has a relatively small delegation of about 45 students, more than five of them have gained leadership positions. Samo junior Hanna Skikne (’20) is one of four State Chaplains throughout the program, meaning she performs speeches at the beginning and end of all meetings. “It’s been a super impactful experience that I’m sure any other delegate can attest to. I encourage everyone to join, whether they are interested in politics or not,” Skikne said. Blain got his encouragement to join Youth and Government in his freshman year at Samo when two seniors casually mentioned the program to him. Since then, he has delved deeper into studying the logistics of politics and is self driven to make an impact in society. His experiences in Sacramento during his sophomore year cemented Blain’s intentions of running for Youth Governor and ultimately solidified his dedication to the political world.“Everything is directly related to politics in our daily lives. Whether it’s something regarding the environment, something regarding civil rights or just local laws, everything goes back to politics. If you can make an impact in politics, then you can impact everyone’s lives,” Blain said.