The Young Republicans were recently invited on a trip to the Minnesota State capitol on Jan. 24. They were guided by Senator Karen Housley, whom the club has sponsored in the past.

Housley is a Stillwater native and has been in touch with the club for almost two years, but under the new leadership of junior Victoria Caliguire the club has been able to provide new and exciting opportunities for its members.

“I was arranging for Sen. Housley to come to speak at one of our meetings and she offered to take us on the tour,” Caliguire said.

While on the tour they got to see some of the newly renovated areas of the building. Some of the paintings and artifacts in the building have been recently renovated and the group was one of the first to see them.

“The tour was filled with a lot of history about the capital and all the new restorations. It was really cool to see,” senior member Sydney Johnson said.

In addition to the new renovations, they also spent some time visiting  the House of Representatives and the Senate floor, where legislation is voted and finalized on.

“It was so interesting to learn about all the different facets that go into passing bills,” Johnson said.

Johnson herself hopes to pursue a career in political science and has followed Sen. Housley’s career as influence.

“She definitely an inspiration for me. I hope to maybe intern for her in college, meeting her was so cool,” Johnson explained.

The club enjoyed the tour and it provided a great bonding experience over their love for politics.

“Senator Housley is an amazing person and politician. We were so thankful that they invited us to experience this,” Caliguire added about Housley.

Although this trip has ended, the group plans on creating more interesting and engaging opportunities for the rest of the school year. The group meets every Wednesday in room D102 to listen to speakers, plan volunteering, or talk about politics with like-minded peers. With the upcoming 2018 midterms coming and the possibility of Senator Housley running for U.S. Congress, the group is sure to have a busy year.

“I enjoyed getting to see how Senators and Representatives spend their day. I learned a lot about the history of our capital and our state legislator, which is something I will definitily take back with me to the club,” Caluguire added.