Girls State delegates elect 2015 officers
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
Photo by: Beth Wynn
STARKVILLE, Miss. --Nearly 300 delegates from around the Magnolia State are participating in the Mississippi American Legion Auxiliary Girls State program this week at Mississippi State University. The young women have elected eight of their peers to serve as top government officials for the remainder of the week's activities.
Candidates go through campaigns and elections during the week. Once in office, they create legislative bills, develop economic projects and perform other government functions.
Mississippi Supreme Court Associate Justice James W. Kitchens swore in the "Big 8" elected officials on Wednesday [June 10] at Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium.
The 2015 officers include:
Governor -- Caroline Bell of Purvis.
Lieutenant Governor -- Georgia Griffin of Clarksdale.
Secretary of State -- Ceili Rassier of Hattiesburg.
State Treasurer -- Jasmine Whitker of Brandon.
State Auditor -- Ashlyn Stringfellow of Lucedale.
Attorney General -- Anna Daniels of Madison.
Commissioner of Insurance -- Britton Webb of Saltillo.
Commissioner of Agriculture -- Madeline Beasley of Madison.
Girls State is the nation's premier program for teaching young women how government works, developing leadership skills and nurturing an appreciation for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. For more information, visit www.magnoliagirlsstate.org.
MSU is the state's flagship research institution, available online at msstate.edu, meridian.msstate.edu, facebook.com/msstate, instagram.com/msstate and twitter.com/msstate, using hashtag #WeRingTrue.