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JUSTIN
HARMON/Staff
The
Wytheville Enterprise
Wednesday,
February 21, 2007
Every
year, two students from every state are chosen to participate in the U.S.
Senate Youth Program, and this year, a Rural Retreat
High School senior made
the cut.
Joshua Lambert said
Tuesday that he was excited about the opportunity to learn more about the
government and the $5,000 scholarship the program gives out to its
participants.
"I've been to
several conferences in Washington,
but I think this one will outdo all of them," he said.
According to Lambert, he
and his fellow participants will head to Washington,
D.C., March 3 where they will study the U.S. government
and meet with several national leaders during the week-long program. Lambert
wants to major in political science and hopes that this experience will give
him insight that will guide his future career path.
"I might find things
I like and I might find things I don't like," he said. "It will
either draw me closer or push me away."
According to Lambert, one
of the program requirements is holding a leadership position, and Lambert,
being the 2007 Youth Governor of Virginia,
fit the bill perfectly. Lambert also had to take a test when filling out his
application.
He then had to be
nominated by his school in order to apply. According to him, his nomination was
a bit odd.
Lambert said that he had
discovered the program online and immediately became interested in it. When he
found out that he had to be nominated for it, though, he decided to look for
other scholarships. The very next day at school, however, his government
teacher received mail asking the school to nominate a candidate.
As luck would have it,
Lambert became the class choice.
"It was a pretty
neat twist of fate," he said.
While the nomination
process was a bit odd, Lambert said that getting the news delivered to him was
awkward.
According to him, he was
called to the principal's office one day and that seemed strange to him.
"I don't get called
to the office," he said.
When he got there,
Lambert said, Principal Michael Neil took him to his office and gave him the
news. Lambert was surprised and relieved.
In addition to getting
the chance to really learn about the inner-workings of the government, Lambert
said the $5,000 scholarship will help make things easier for him this fall.
According to Lambert, he
has already been accepted at the University
of Virginia. After
getting his bachelor's degree, Lambert hopes to attend law school and become a
commonwealth's attorney. Lambert said his interest in law became apparent after
interning with Wythe
County Commonwealth's
Attorney Gerald Mabe.
According to Lambert, the
program lasts from March 3-10.
Along with playing varsity
baseball at Rural
Retreat High
School, Lambert is a student in the Southwest
Virginia Governor's School. He is the son of Daniel and Lisa Lambert.
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