With the Youth and Government convention quickly approaching, senior YAG veteran Abbey Jennings is excited and ready to take on Jefferson City.

For her last time at the YAG convention, Jennings is participating in the legislative branch for a change of pace. She crushed it in the judicial branch last year and is now prepared to use her experience to make this time around even better.

“Although I have not spoken in the legislative chambers yet, I am confident the skills I used in judicial last year will be very beneficial this year. Being able to speak in front of others clearly is a prominent factor in having a successful bill,” said Jennings.

Inspired by the controversy surrounding gun reform in schools, Jennings decided to write her bill on an effective and reasonable way to protect students.

“My bill focuses on securing our nation’s schools through improving a school’s emergency preparedness plan. The bill’s primary goal is to give every classroom in Missouri a new plan of response to an active shooter — fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers offer multiple defensive methods that teachers and students can use, such as standing near a doorway ready to attack and blind an active shooter with the dry chemical, breaking glass or simply acting as a deterrent,” said Jennings.

Abbey will hopefully present her bill in the Senate Chambers and get the chance to have her bill debated on by students from all over Missouri. For this reason, Youth and Government holds a special place in Jennings’ heart.

“YAG is meaningful to me because it gives students an opportunity to take control of their state government. Simply being at YAG inspires me because so many students are passionate about the topics they debate and events they participate in. The students at YAG truly are our future leaders, innovators and influencers,” said Jennings.

After Jennings leaves, she hopes more students will realize the benefits of this rewarding convention.

“I would 100% recommend this club to other students no matter what they are interested in. YAG can fulfill a wide range of interests. Whether you’re political or not, being a member of YAG is amazing,” said Jennings.

Her courage to stand up for a controversial issue is truly something to be admired. Abbey’s determination for reform and justice will surely carry on into her future career and change the world — one fire extinguisher at a time.