Opening General Assembly
Olivia Otto
After a long two years of zoom meetings and GroupMe chats, the Kentucky Youth Assembly is back in person and better than ever. Sentimentality was present in the air as our prestigious presiding officers formally welcomed everyone to the conference. Although The Y has made several changes, its family can still call it home. This was evident in the return of our beloved KYA songs like Little Red Wagon and Apepecha. I had the opportunity to speak with a couple of the PO’s about how they worked to make this year the best and how they felt about the opening ceremony.
I sat down with our wonderful governor, Sophia Koppensteiner, to talk about the pressure of putting together an in-person conference after losing it the year before.
Q: How does it feel to be back in-person?
A: I feel this overwhelming sense of unity. It’s so special seeing everyone, sitting with this amazing group of PO’s just knowing the experience we’ve had over the last year or two. Even though we haven’t been in person for everything, we’ve made such strong connections, and I think we’re gonna make amazing connections with everyone else, too.
Q: What was it like working with your team to make sure this conference happened?
A: Crazy. We all have unique personalities, and I think it was really interesting to see everything unfold. Being able to contribute different parts and our own characteristics to it was so much fun.
Q: What was the hardest part about getting ready for the conference?
A: For me, it was realizing that everything was truly happening in-person. I knew it was happening, but it’s just that unreal feeling when you come to KYA. Not having that for two years was kind of strange, but now we’re here!
Later in the night, I was able to catch up with Secretary of State, Claire Moore, and asked her about the fun shenanigans the PO team put together.
Q: How has it been working to make KYA a fun experience with the PO’s?
A: It has been absolutely amazing. The team is definitely one of the most special that I have ever seen. Becoming closer and seeing everyone’s passion shine through this past year has been such a blast. While leading the conference is so much fun, the best part is making lasting friendships.
Q: How much fun was it to do the pineapple bill skit? Was it planned out or improvised?
A: Bills like the pineapple one are my favorite way to kill time at KYA, so it was so much fun. Two years ago when I was Lt. Governor, we presented a bill to ban TikTok, and people still talk about it today. The best part about it is that it’s not planned at all; we just write up short scripts or say what comes to mind, which adds to the humor of it all.
Q: What else can the delegation expect for general assemblies?
A: Friday morning you can expect to hear the call to debate, and midday we’re gonna have a time for reflection; this will be something new that I hope everyone will take advantage of. You’ll hear closing thoughts tomorrow evening and from our commonwealth candidates once more on Saturday morning!
After the first day’s assembly, I can only imagine what fun the next two days hold. The best part is the fiery passion that all of us Y kids have, and we’re sure to see more of it.
