by Will Schwarzenbach
Young Leaders Member
It’s not every day that I get to go up The Hill to the State Capitol building for a meeting. Unless you are a part of our state government, you are probably in the same situation. However, thanks to the Young Leader’s “Lunch with a Leader” program, I had the opportunity to have lunch in the capitol board room with Representative Greg Hughes and a number of other Young Leaders. I was particularly interested in meeting Representative Hughes, as I am one of his constituents in his district – or as he stated I am his “boss.”
I found the meeting with Representative Hughes enjoyable and informative. He started off the meeting by discussing his history and the path he has taken to get to where he is today. I was surprised to hear of his upbringing in the Pittsburgh PA area, as well as specifics of how he started his political career. The meeting quickly moved to current business, as Representative Hughes discussed a bill that he will be sponsoring in the House this year regarding high-quality preschool programs. While I am already familiar with the bill and support it, I found it enlightening to hear more details directly from the sponsor. There are sure to be a number of questions that come up this year as I work to advocate for the bills, considering the unique nature of the private/public partnership for the associated funding. Overall it was a great way to spend a lunch hour.
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To find out more about Young Leaders and how you can get involved with the Lunch with a Leader series, contact Drew at drew@uw.org.
