Not every high school student gets the opportunity to speak to over 3,000 youths at our state’s capital, but then again, Nicola Kirkpatrick isn’t like most high school students.
Nicola Kirkpatrick accomplishes beyond the average high school student. This senior has passion for leadership and politics, which are not the most common interests among teenagers. Kirkpatrick finds her interests lying in political activism and civic engagement. Her long list of accomplishments includes her high positions in many extracurricular activities. Some of which include: Student Representative of the Board of Education, Editor in Chief of Trade winds in the yearbook, Senior Staff of the Triton yearbook, secretary of National Honor Society, four years of being in ASB(Senior and Junior class president, 8th grade recruitment), School Site Council student representative, Capital Convoy representative, and Youth and Government statewide chaplain. While this is long list of positions, Nic didn’t always know she wanted to be a leader. Nic found her love for leadership trying to do the same thing any teenager at a new school tries to do, make friends. “I came from a private school with thirty kids in my class”, states Kirkpatrick, “I really just wanted to makes friends and I thought the best way of doing that was to join clubs”. While joining various organizations around campus she found that she actually enjoyed being a leader and guiding groups of people. She has found that taking control of a situation allows her to become the liaison between two opposing views, putting her in optimal position to find a solution.
The other roots of her political passion came from her family as Nicola Kirkpatrick comes from a line of male politicians. In addition to the multiple lawyers in her family, Nic’s father holds a position on city council and her grandfather is former mayor of Lancaster. Inspired by her ancestors,Nic feels it is her duty to be the first female leader of her family.
One of Kirkpatrick’s most prominent accomplishments is one that is quite recent. Over the president’s day weekend, Kirkpatrick served as state wide chaplain at a Youth and Government conference in Sacramento, California. After years of working to become the young leader she is, she was given the opportunity to speak to over 3,000 teenagers about how “change is never easy, but it is possible”. She finds power in change and in words. Kirkpatrick reminded fellow delegates that they “may be young but [their] voices matter and they are louder when [they] speak together”. It is no mystery why this Sea King was chosen for such an important role. Evidently, her words touched her peers and inspired those who share Nic’s interest in politics. One young girl even approached Kirkpatrick to say , “I really like what you said; I took it to heart”. According to Kirkpatrick, that moment holds a special spot in her heart, proving that “what you say really does make an impact”.
Seeing that people really care about her message encourages Kirkpatrick to move forward in her endeavors. With the determination that runs through her veins, it is no question that success awaits her. Confidence, for Nicola Kirkpatrick, isn’t key, but elemental. It is the guiding force behind her words, humor, and message. Being blunt got her the positions she holds today, and will continue to do so in the future. “Leadership is not appointed; it is a decision to become a leader,” shares Kirkpatrick.
Problems do not solve themselves and Kirkpatrick wants to find solutions and compromises to whatever problems exist or will arise. She is interested in conflict, with two opposing sides to an issue. She explains, “In politics, there’s never a right answer,” by which she means, there will never be a solution that resolves an issue for the entire population. She is passionate about changing the way the youth sees government, and wants the new generation to see the government as an opportunity for the future. That is why Nicola Kirkpatrick strives to find the best option and make a difference in the world. And at age 18, what else would a teenage girl want?
