WVHS junior Christian Katzabanis goes inside Albany

Warwick Valley High School junior Christian Katzabanis recently attended the Students Inside Albany conference, held May 19-22 and sponsored by the League of Women Voters, New York, and the local chapter, LWV Mid-Hudson Region. Katzabanis was one of 60 high school students from all over the state to participate in the four-day conference, designed to immerse students in the process by which public policy is proposed, enacted and changed in New York and educate them as to how they can influence and affect this process.

Katzabanis toured the state Capitol and the Court of Appeals and visited Assemblymember Karl Brabenec in the Legislative Office Building. He viewed the Assembly in session and joined State Senator James Skoufis in closed door meetings. Finally, Katzabanis and the other students heard presentations describing the role of media in covering political news and how to effectively advocate to legislators around issues that are important to them.

According to LWV, Katzabanis said he enjoyed the conference and was impressed by how the experience showed him that legislators are “ordinary people” he could talk to, not “someone up on a pedestal.”

He said going to Albany clarified his plans for the future, which include going to law school and eventually being involved in government, either by running for office or working in government administration. He also was happy that while in Albany he was able to take advantage of New York’s law allowing 16-year-olds to register to vote. He looks forward to casting his first ballot after turning 18 next year. He says that issues important to him include improving NY state recycling methods and improving sustainable solid waste disposal.

LWV New York sponsors the Students Inside Albany program every spring and pays the cost for one student from each local chapter. The LWV is a non-partisan citizen activist organization that encourages informed and active participation in government.