At the end of my sophomore year, I took a chance and applied for LYAC – the Legislative Youth Advisory Council. An official, non-partisan body representing the youth, LYAC works under the Lieutenant Governor’s office to promote youth voices from around the state. Members are from all over Washington, from Bellevue to Everett to neighborhoods in eastern and southern Washington.
I was enthralled by the work LYAC members did before applying. Stalking their Instagram page, I wondered: could this be me? After months of waiting, I finally heard back — I got in. Being a first-year LYAC member has been spectacular, and I’ve enjoyed learning so much more about the legislative process through it.
My favorite experience by far has been our overnight “Day on the Hill” experience. After months of preparation and finishing handouts for legislatures in time, becoming lobbyists for a busy day made all our work worthwhile. Back-to-back meetings, running through different buildings with some of my closest friends while creating change will forever be a memory I cherish. So welcome to a day in the life of a LYAC member!
January 29, 2024
6:00 a.m.
Waking up to the sound of three alarms is frightening, especially since my roommates and I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. the night before. Suffering through our sleep deprivation working on handouts for legislatures, we got dressed in our formal business attire and began to pack up our day’s worth of luggage. Heading down to the hotel lobby, we grabbed some breakfast, took pictures of the sunrise, and headed into white vans to head to the Capitol. The day had just begun.
*Handouts: For our meetings with Senators/Representatives, we are tasked with creating handouts for bills that we want to advocate for so we can give them a summary of our ideas on them. Most legislatures have opted for paperless offices, so we tend to email them over after our meetings are done.
7:50 AM
Finally made it to the glorious Capitol! Having been there a few times, I was still in awe of its regal nature, bustling with people left and right. We headed into the Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck’s spare meeting room space to set up shop and get prepared for the long day ahead. As other LYAC members started to file in, we settled in at the tables and began to discuss our tasks for the day. Our main objective: sorting out what bills to pitch to legislators before our meetings with them. Weeks prior, we were tasked with emailing legislators to schedule times to meet with them — today was the day we were able to get business done.
8:00-9:30 AM
Since I didn’t have any meetings scheduled in the early morning, I was either tagging along with friends to meet with their legislators or walking through the Capitol building with a couple of my friends – hoping to cross into any legislators? we knew. Most of my time, though, was spent in the Lt. Governor’s office room (which I’ll call the LYAC Hub), ensuring that all my papers needed for my upcoming meetings were all set and ready to go!
10:00-10:15 AM
John L. O’Brien (JLOB) Building. Representative Julio Cortes! Being one of the representatives for the district that I live in, I was super ecstatic to be able to talk in person to someone who actually represents the area that I’m from.We began the meeting by introducing ourselves and connecting with him so we could get comfortable with each other. Most of the bills we proposed to him were about expanding African-American history in schools. Even though he said he would support them, he explained why the bills weren’t getting much attention this session and why it was unlikely they would pass. The transparency in just helping us understand the process helped me learn more about the intricacies of passing laws. He was able to empathize with us, sharing his own experiences and remaining vulnerable throughout our conversation. I wish I could’ve stayed for longer but I had to run to my next meeting in the building across from JLOB.
10:15-10:20 AM
Running to one of the legislature office buildings, John A. Cherberg (JAC). I did get some stares, but I took it as admiration for my dedication to hustle.
10:21 – 10:35 AM
The other members were already there, and I politely asked to be let into the meeting room. Lo and behold it was Senator Joe Nguyen! Meeting with him earlier this year, I was excited to hear about the progress he made on his initiative for sustainability. Not much had changed, but work was being done with specialists to ensure his plans would be able to work. Even though they wouldn’t pass this session, he believed they could be passed by next session — if all went well and there were no delays. We continued to talk, had a photo-op, and then we were on our way back to the LYAC hub.
11:00 – 1:50 PM
Downtime! I headed to grab some lunch from the Olympia Cafe and caught up with one of my Model UN friends who lives in Olympia and came to visit me. We crossed paths with a few senators, chatted about how the session was going and what they were up to. I even saw the Lieutenant Governor as he was heading to one of his meetings! After I said farewell, I went back to the grind, making sure my papers were organized for my back-to-back meetings in the afternoon and checking in to see if anyone needed help. I did a few more meetings that needed people to fill in and crossed paths with a fellow Lakesider in the corridors — Maria O.’27, who was paging for the House of Representatives! Needless to say, we chatted for a while and headed on our separate paths as we both had a list of things to complete. I headed back to the LYAC Hub to finish off compiling all the papers I needed; this was going to be a long afternoon.
2:00 – 2:15 PM
JAC building. Third floor. Senator Robinson. Actually, more like Senator Robinson’s legislative assistant, who I adored with all my heart. Since being elected to be the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Senator Robinson rarely has a moment to be present in meetings. This is why, in her place, her assistant spoke with us. Being a constituent of her district, I was excited to be able to talk to her assistant again since she was another point of contact before the start of the session. The other LYAC members and I were able to connect with her with ease, voicing the mental health initiatives we wanted to bring to her attention, as well as translating our voter guides bill. Needless to say, we got her approval, and I sprinted to the next meeting that I desperately wanted to make on time.
2:20-2:25 PM
Stuck in the elevator. It was taking its sweet time to start up.
2:30 – 2:45 PM
Same building. Second floor. Senator Patty Kuderer. On time! We discussed similar bills that we wanted to gain her support on and began to talk to her with ease about our experiences and how we got into LYAC. She is one of my favorite senators of all time because she is such a joy to be around.
2:48 – 2:52 PM
I was really getting my cardio in for the day, sprinting to the next meeting in a different building.
2:52 – 3:00 PM
Back to JLOB. Fourth floor — I’ve stopped counting how many times I’ve been here. Representative Tana Senn. Only slightly late. I was greeted and attempted to control my breathing. Those stairs really did a number on me (the elevator would NOT show up). Introducing myself, we were able to jump into the bills we thought would interest them the most, and we got their support! Another bill checked off!
3:10 – 3:25 PM
Since our last meeting was pretty close to my next, I wandered around outside and enjoyed the fresh air.
3:30 – 3:45 PM
JLOB. Representative Alicia Rule. Quick and easy meeting! We were able to talk about the bills that interested us and also learn more about what they were working on this session. Handing us her business card, she told us to contact her if we needed anything or were interested in any political information. Score!
3:48 – 4:00 PM
Final meeting of the day!. JLOB (yes, again). Representative Carolyn Eslick. Same as the rest of the day, I fell into a comfortable routine – talked about the bills that interested us and closed with ease. What a pleasant way to end the day!
4:00 – 4:30 PM
We headed back to the LYAC Hub to hear highlights from each other’s days and discuss what went well and what could be improved. For the most part, we all felt the day was successful — and we were incredibly proud of ourselves! Being able to talk for hours on end, especially in front of legislators, is no easy feat, and it was an amazing experience to learn while doing so. As we headed out, for the past three times I’ve been to the Capitol on behalf of LYAC, getting a BeReal with the Lt. Gov is always my sidequest. Needless to say, I left beaming, having accomplished the greatest feat: adding another BeReal featuring him to my collection. Another successful day on the hill!
For those wishing to apply, and are rising freshmen/sophomores/juniors, applications are still open until April 30th 11:59 PM PDT! Visit the applicant hub at www.walyac.org/apply for more information!
