Scott Nagatoshi becomes new Youth Governor of California
After months of working and campaigning at different conferences and delegations, Scott Nagatoshi, junior, was elected as the 71st Youth Governor of California. Nagatoshi was one of three people left in the running for the position after the first two Youth and Government conferences in Fresno. Youth and Government is a club that focuses on leadership, public speaking and political issues. Throughout the state, there are more than 3,300 participants, who all gather in Sacramento to put on a model government.
The Miller YMCA delegation of Newbury Park travelled to Sacramento over President’s Day weekend. They attended their annual statewide conference, which was held at the state capitol.
The position of Youth Governor entails many things. “I will of course preside over the Youth and Government program next year, I will have the opportunity to serve along with 3 other delegates as the youth board representatives on the CalYMCA board of directors,” Nagatoshi said. In addition to presiding over the Youth and Government program next year, Nagatoshi will also be signing California’s new state budget made next year, as well as different pieces of legislation brought through the youth legislative houses
In the history of the Miller delegation, there had never been a Youth Governor. Now that Nagatoshi has secured his position as the Youth Governor, he wants to implement his visions for the future.
“I plan to make Youth and Government a more accepting environment where every delegate can voice their thoughts on social issues and not be judged,” Nagatoshi said. “I also feel that we need to (have) a program that is open to change, so I want to make sure that underrepresented delegates feel that they have more of a voice and a say in how the program works.”
Nagatoshi was not alone in his campaign to win. He had the backing of his entire delegation, especially from his campaign manager, Caryn Archer, senior, who devoted her time to his cause. Nagatoshi had been campaigning for six months before the win, and, with the help of Archer, his dedication paid off.
“I saw how much work Scott put into this campaign and how much support he got from our entire delegation,” Archer said. “No one deserves this more than him. I am so beyond proud of him and what he can accomplish.”
Ethan Ronk, junior and the Miller delegation’s next chaplain, felt the support for Scott from the delegation was immense.
“We all made sure we were all on our best behavior to show that Miller is a great delegation and to show that we supported Scott Nagatoshi,” Ronk said. “He had a specific campaign team and we all went around and introduced ourselves to people throughout the first two conferences to get Scott’s vote.”
The delegation spread the word about Nagatoshi’s ideals, which led many people to gravitate towards him.
For Ronk and his peers, the experience was emotional and unique. “It meant so much to me and our delegation when Scott won,” Ronk said. “We all fell to the floor and started crying. It was such an emotional experience. We were all so happy for Scott. It was so incredible to see.”
Nagatoshi joined the Youth and Government back in 6th grade with the Model United Nations Program. He had dreamed of winning the position of Youth Governor since 8th grade.
Nagatoshi hopes that, with his win, he will be able to influence change and many people. “I hope that this inspires delegates from smaller delegations to run for positions like this because it’s possible to win but it’s only possible if you try!” Nagatoshi said.
