This past weekend, White Plains Youth & Government made history by bringing 64 students—our largest delegation ever—to the NYS Youth & Government State Conference, which also had its largest conference ever with 750 students in attendance. Our group included 10 bill teams, 13 attorney pairs, 4 students serving as Conference Justices, and one student serving as a Presiding Officer.
Legislative Successes
In the legislative branch, all 10 of our bills passed in their chambers, with 9 being signed by the Youth Governor. Four of these bills ranked in the top 5% and advanced to the joint sessions, where they were also passed. Notable recognition includes:
Nathan Beck
Awarded Outstanding Debater in his chamber
Nathan Beck, Nate Bartlette, Asher Nerenberg,
& Alex Porcelli
Awarded Outstanding Bill (Bill 143) for its impactful proposal on Patent Law.
Layla Hanbali
Recognized as
Outstanding Delegate
Judicial Achievements:
Our judicial participants also excelled, with all our attorney pairs ranking in the top 10%. Additional recognition includes:
Olivia Amador & Maya Roldan – Awarded Best Brief
Olivia Amador
Outstanding Attorney
Daniel Appel
Outstanding Attorney
Lance Anthony
Outstanding Justice
Community Service Recognition
This year’s conference introduced a Service Learning component, encouraging students to engage in their local communities. White Plains Youth & Government stood out, winning the Stronger Community Service Award for completing the most service hours per capita.
Elected Leadership for Next Year
At the conference’s conclusion, four of our students successfully ran for leadership positions for the 2025 conference:
Charis Choi – Public Defender
Francis Fokoue-Nkoutche
(Pictured Center Seat)
Chief Justice
Layla Hanbali
Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Freedom
Nathan Beck
President Pro Tempore of Senate Freedom
Selections for National Conferences
Finally, top-performing students from the conference were selected to attend two prestigious national Youth & Government conferences:
* National Judicial Conference (Minneapolis, MN) – Francis Fokoue-Nkoutche, Lance Anthony, Sydney Brumberg,
Charis Choi, and Ben Battistini.
* Conference on National Affairs (Asheville, NC) – Asa Hamlin and Layla Hanbali.
This year’s delegation demonstrated incredible leadership, civic engagement, and excellence in debate, law, and service. We are proud of every student who participated in this year’s State Conference and look forward to what next year has in store!
For more information on YUSA’s Youth And Government Programs visit their website here.