Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1497871
SIGNATURE MONTANA | 83 Meeting the other 103 delegates was a highlight of the trip. AJ says it was eye-opening to meet students who have their 'next step mapped out' --some aending MIT, Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and service academies. "I made friends with men and women who are likely to run our country, their state, cure cancer, or make some kind of earth-shaering invention –they were the real deal," says AJ. AJ was honored to meet and visit with U.S. Senate Historian Bey Koed; Robert H. Henry, Former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester, as well as numerous other remarkable government leaders. AJ enjoyed their stories and firsthand accounts of the challenges and triumphs they faced while in public service. "I can honestly say this experience has fueled my personal and professional passion for selfless service and desire to lead others with courage and the highest degree of integrity," AJ says. On the final night, following dinner and a flag ceremony, AJ was honored with a United States flag accompanied by a certificate stating the flag had blown over our nation's Capital on February 9, 2023. But AJ says the most memorable moment was when 1st Lt. Boileau took off his lieutenant bars and handed him one, saying, "e first one you have to earn, the second one is on me." S MT AJ would like to thank those who made this invaluable experience possible: His family e Hearst Foundation 2023 Senate Advisory Commiee USYYP, Distinguished Alumni, Military Mentors, and Staff Honorable Steve Daines, United States Senator Honorable Jon Tester, United States Senator Montana Office of Public Instruction Great Falls Public Schools Mrs. April L. Wavra, Teacher Ms. Riki Johnson, CMR Counselor Mrs. Jamie McGraw, CMR Principal Brian Kauffman, Kaufman's Menswear