South Seminole Academy students gathered Wednesday, November 5, 2025, for the Youth in Government Summit which was an immersive civic experience created to empower students to understand how government works, imagine themselves as future civic leaders, and recognize that their voices truly matter.

The event was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Seminole County, and students were welcomed with keynote remarks from the League’s President Cathy Swerdlow. She shared the critical message that advocacy matters and that citizens have both the right and responsibility to speak up, get involved, and express what matters to them to leaders at every level.

Students also heard an inspirational story from a local Seminole County criminal judge Carsandra Buie, who spoke candidly about her decision to pursue a legal career and what motivated her to become a judge. She shared how her mother always encouraged her to believe she could do big things,  a message that resonated strongly with students in the audience.

After the keynote sessions, students participated in small-group breakout conversations with Seminole County Public School Board Chair Kristine Kraus, Seminole County Public School Board member Dr. Robin Dehlinger, and Seminole County Public School Board Vice Chair Autumn Garick, County Commissioner Sara Baker and Claudia Thomas, Judge Carsandra Buie, and the League of Women Voters of Seminole County President Cathy Swerdlow. These sessions gave students a rare chance to ask questions directly, learn about the day-to-day responsibilities of leadership roles, and see how government decisions are made.

Lunch was provided by the Seminole County Foundation, and the afternoon brought hands-on learning to life. Students worked through a government-themed Breakout EDU scavenger hunt, and then teamed up to design campaign posters for a hypothetical student candidate running for office at the local, state, or national level. Each team identified two core issues that mattered to their candidate and developed a campaign theme or slogan aligned to those priorities, bringing together creativity, persuasion, and civic awareness.

At the end of the event, students had the chance to win a centerpiece as a door prize which was a fun ending to a deeply meaningful day.

Youth in Government Day served as a powerful reminder that young people are not just the voices of tomorrow but they are voices now. And events like this make sure they know how to use their voices to advocate for positive change.