When I first went to Oregon Girls State as a camper, I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was I would be living at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon for a week to learn about the Oregon government system.It has now been three weeks since this year’s session and my fourth year as a councilor has ended. As I put the last of my voters’ pamphlets away, I begin to reflect on all of the things the program has taught me about being a leader and about my own character. Each year I’ve gone back I have gained a deeper understanding of who I am and how I can live my life to its fullest. These are four tips I can give you from my experiences at Girls State that will help you succeed at life.

1. Be your own confident amazing version of yourself.

If I have learned anything from Girls State, it’s that you should always be yourself.In High school speak it is best illustrated as “Don’t let anyone’s opinion of you change who you are. There is no excuse to let another person’s opinion change your character. As long as you are confident in who you are your peers will have no reason to believe otherwise. Being a part of Girls State has taught me that everyone is amazing in their own beautiful way. All you have to do is allow yourself to be you and everything else will fall into place.

2. Sometimes the best memories are made on the littlest amounts of sleep.

I know people tend to get very stingy when talking about losing precious hours of sleep but trust me when I say some of the best memories are made in the wee hours of the night. I have many fond memories from Girls State at 2 a.m. when all the girls are asleep and the councilors get the chance to chat. The jokes may not be so funny the next morning but you laugh at how funny you thought the jokes were at the time. So the next time your friends want to hang out late at night, take up the offer even if that means losing a couple hours of sleep.

3. Dance like you’re the only one in the room.

Dancing is a very regular thing at Girls State. When were in between events there is almost always a dance party to pass the time. A lot of the girls get up on stage and dace their hearts out while others are more comfortable staying in their seats. Don’t be afraid to do the things you love just because you’re afraid of what others will think of you when do you. Dancing is one the of most individual ways a person can express themselves so get out there and dance!

4. Don’t be afraid to try everything.

The one thing we constantly tell our campers at Girls State besides “You need to stay wake during GA” is “don’t be afraid to run for all the positions you can!” At Girls State, campers have many chances to take on leadership roles but only if they are willing to take a chance and go for it! In life there are going to be opportunities that you will be afraid to take. Whether this is because you’re afraid of failing, or you’re unsure if it’s what you really want, it shouldn’t keep you from going for it anyway. The worse thing that can happen is you don’t get it or you decide you don’t want it and turn it down. Regardless of the outcome the world will continue to spin, life will go on and you will be ok. But what’s most important about this lesson is failure shouldn’t stop you from continuing to try. The only way to succeed is to fail until you get it right. You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. So I implore you to try everything.

Girls State will always hold a special place in my heart because it has helped me become who I am. As long as I have the opportunity, I will continue to return as a counselor because I love watching the girls grow from shy junior high school students into beautiful amazing women with the power to change the world. So, if there are any high school girls reading this article I highly recommend talking to your career center counselor about the Girls State program and getting your self signed up. I promise you won't regret it!