Mason Mills and David Nguyen selected to attend Boys State

MT. PLEASANT - Mt. Pleasant High School juniors Mason Mills and David Nguyen have been chosen by the Mt. Pleasant American Legion Post 58 to attend the Iowa American Legion Hawkeye Boys State.

The six-day event invites students between their junior and senior year to spend a week at the state capitol in June to learn about the 'democratic form of government” and 'civic leadership” through a hands-on experience, according to the program's website.

Dean King, Commander of Iowa Post 58, explained selection for the program is by invitation only.

'These kids are the cream of the crop. Boys State is really about learning about our way of government. It's really great,” he said.

The teenagers selected to attend Boys State will participate in a mock government in which certain students are elected into government positions from city council, to county supervisors and all the way up to the state governor. As participants Mills and Nguyen will be eligible for a handful of scholarships, which can be earned through demonstrating outstanding leadership and citizenship skills during Boys State.

Mason, who has never been to Des Moines, said he is mostly excited to learn about how the government functions.

'Understanding the behind-the-scenes stuff will be kind of cool,” he said.

Though he isn't completely sure what he wants to do after high school, Mills said he's definitely considered pursuing a career in government.

'It's so prevalent in today's society. What the government is doing is on the news all the time so I watch it a lot,” he said.

Mills added he feels fortunate to get an 'opportunity to do something not a lot of teens get to experience,” and looks forward to meeting students from across the state.

Like Mills, Nguyen said being selected to go to Boys State 'is a real honor.”

'I'm excited to go and represent,” he said.

Nguyen said he hopes the experience will 'widen [his] perspective” and give him 'an in-depth view” of how the government works.

'We're going to be doing mock trials and learning about government and civics,” he explained, 'It seems like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Nguyen added that he hopes to further 'develop [his] leadership skills” while at Boys State and is also excited to meet other students from across Iowa.

'I feel like, as young people, we're about to be independent and the government is such a big part of our lives so it's important to understand the details of it,” he said.

Currently the Mt. Pleasant American Legion is looking to fundraise to cover expenses for Mills and Nguyen's Boys State experience. The war veterans group will be having a chili and salad supper on Saturday, March 14, beginning at 5:30 p.m. For information on the program or fundraiser, Dean King can be reached at 319-931-4044.