From June 9-15, Presbyterian College will host the 73rd session of the American Legion Auxiliary Palmetto Girls State. Approximately 640 high school students from across the state will be on campus for the program.

The one-week leadership and citizenship training program “educates outstanding high school students about local government and citizenship,” according to the Girls State website.

The students, known as delegates in the program, are divided into groups called “cities” and during the experience, simulate political campaigns, parties and elections. The students learn from staff, guest speakers and experts; they also take a trip to the Statehouse in Columbia.

Abby Stiver, a rising senior at PC, will be one of the many faces delegates will see when they arrive. Stiver, a senior counselor with the program, will head back to Girls State for her fifth year this summer.

Stiver said when she was a delegate, one of the highlights was the new people she met during the week.

“You’re constantly being split up into different groups, so every day you have the chance to meet someone new,” Stiver said. “There are still girls I met there that I regularly talk to; I also really enjoyed hearing all of the stories from the politicians who spoke to us about what they do and how they ended up in their position.”

The students are able to experience a college campus at PC, as well, by staying in dorms and using classrooms and facilities.

Palmetto Girls State is organized and administered by the South Carolina Department of the American Legion Auxiliary.

Learn More

Palmetto Girls State delegates learn about government and politics when they’re on campus. Please visit the Political Science pages to learn more about the political science program at PC.