s l r i G The r e t a t S
AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY OKLAHOMA GIRLS STATE
Vol 78 Issue 4 June 2022
NOT ABOUT US, WITHOUT US We had the pleasure of having Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, Joy Hofmeister, speak to us on Wednesday. Hofmeister shared part of her own journey of becoming an elected official, while also encouraging every person in the audience to find their path. Hofmeister shared part of her background to demonstrate how anyone can become a state leader. Growing up, Hofmeister struggled with dyslexia. Hofmeister attended college, but she dropped out. Hofmeister talks about how she knew she had to go back to school and become a teacher for her family. Superintendent Hofmeister had never thought about becoming an elected state official, or much less, a teacher. That’s why Hofmeister started the ICAP program. The ICAP program was created by Superintendent Hofmeister to help guide students in their future careers. Because Hofmeister did not know what she wanted to do in college, and thus, dropped out, Hofmeister wanted to make a change in all of our lives. ICAP is a program that helps keep students from 6th grade up thinking about future careers. ICAP is now required for graduation. ICAP includes everything from setting yearly goals, long term goals, and also job shadowing. But Superintendent Hofmeister does more than just helping students through career goals. Superintendent Hofmeister has also created the Student Advisory Council, which helps make sure students all throughout Oklahoma are heard. In fact, several students attending Girls State have served on Hofmeister’s Student Advisory, including Joyce Yang and Geralyn Haney, and many others as well. This Advisory Panel ensures that Oklahoman students are being heard by the people in charge. Hofmeister believes that every student voice should be heard. She strongly believes in the phrase “not about us, without us.” This phrase has been popular everywhere, but Hofmeister believes that this also applies largely to students. Hofmeister values students' opinions and wants to know what schools in Oklahoma really need. -Heidi Huseman, Densmore City