First published in the July 28 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
Rising high school seniors Joven Torres and Andrew Mihal were recently selected and sponsored by the American Legion, Burbank Post 150, to represent La Cañada High School at Boys’ State in Sacramento.
In the program, young men with different backgrounds and beliefs organized themselves into functioning governmental systems. For seven days in June, Torres and Mihal worked long hours with 950 other boys from across California to form state and local governments, legislate and debate constitutional law.
Both Torres and Mihal passed the “bar” exam, allowing them to participate in legal matters. Torres rose to the position of legal affairs secretary and was one of the key advisers to the governor concerning legislation. Mihal was senior policy adviser to the governor and also competed in constitutional debates, finishing fourth out of more than 100 other aspiring attorneys.
Boys’ State occurs annually in most states and has been in existence since 1935. It is funded and administered by the American Legion. Through an application and interviewing process, the local Legion selects two students from the junior class of a high school to participate in the annual event. This year was the first in-person session since 2019.
