Flyer junior Elle Clouse, a member of the Mayor’s Youth Council, checked in with the newspaper staff on Monday and reported that she shook the hand of President Obama today while on her trip in Washington, D.C. Clouse wrote the story below before she left on Friday.

During the first semester of my freshman year, my life got a little nudge. It was a normal August day. I sauntered into my first hour class, felt the same hum-drum-back-to-school-on-Monday blues, sat down by the same people and listened for the announcements that always began with a cheerful greeting from Mrs. Harshberger.
In this announcement came a little blurb about a committee called the Mayor’s Youth Council. My attention was immediately hooked. I quickly got as much information I could out of my teacher and then I was on my way. I went through the application process and ensured myself a spot on the council. The Mayor’s Youth Council is ran by the City of Wichita and serves as an organization that encourages youth involvement in the community. Growing up in a family that encourages opinions and celebrates involvement, my desire to actively participate was no surprise to me.
Three years later, I am still a member of the council and I credit my new found love of government involvement to it. Every year, the council selects four of its members (out of 40) to accompany the Mayor of Wichita to Washington D.C., to represent the City of Wichita on a national stage, at the National League of Cities Congressional Conference. This year, after an extensive application process, I was selected. I was overjoyed. On March 6, I boarded a plane to the Nation’s capital to speak on behalf of the youth of Wichita. The conference is not about politics and policies, but about pride in your home and having the desire to learn about other cities as well. Which is something that makes my heart skip a beat.