By Alyssa McMillan
Mary Judnich, regional manager for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow’s West Michigan office, came to Schoolcraft Junior/Senior High February 7 to speak with the eighth grade students about herself, her job, and the senator.
Judnich was invited to Schoolcraft by eighth grade social studies teacher Karl Schook. “While 8th graders receive a comprehensive study of the U.S. Constitution and the system of government it creates, it can be a bit abstract for young people who aren’t yet active voters,” explained Schook. “The reason I reached out to various elected officials. . . was the hope that we could ‘humanize’ government and make [it] more real for the students.”
Thanks to US Senator Debbie Stabenow’s office, Schook was able to provide the students with the experience he’d been hoping for. Judnich’s charisma allowed her to be both informative and humorous, appealing to the minds of her young audience. But Schook and the students weren’t the only ones who enjoyed Ms. Judnich’s visit.
She did as well. “I love talking to students. If we can get people excited about government and their role, then it’s a pleasure to do that. . .”
And excited they were. Prior to her arrival, the eighth graders came up with numerous questions for Schook to send Ms. Judnich, as well as several more inquiries asked in person. The questions ranged from “Have you ever met the president?” (Yes, when he was vice-president) to “What’s the Senate like?” (“Every day is different.”) to “Would you consider yourself friends with Debbie Stabenow?” Judnich was happy to supply answers that were diligent, thorough, and engaging, further capturing the kids’ interest and attention.
“. . . I always love to hear from students,” Judnich mentioned. “I got great questions and [they] have great views.”
The students enjoyed listening to Judnich as well. Eighth grader Isabelle commented, “I think that Ms. Judnich was good at what she did. She gave a very informative speech. . .and she did a good job explaining some of the things that she does and how she got [her position] and ways to get there if you are interested in doing it. I think that she was very kind and she was very good at answering questions and she also explained a good amount. . .”
In addition to speaking about her duties as a regional manager and background in social work, Judnich also provided insight on how to apply to a military academy and gave helpful advice on voting: “If you never voice your opinion, you’ll never know if it will make a difference.”
Afterwards, Judnich made time to speak to students one-on-one, answering all of their remaining questions.
But was Judnich able to ‘humanize the US government in only one visit?
“Based on the feedback I received from our students,” answered Schook, “that goal was accomplished.”