A Dairy Princess never puts her tiara down to rest

A Dairy Princess never puts her tiara down to rest. I recently attended California Girl State, which is a week-long government leadership camp that was held at Claremont McKenna College. Five hundred girls, one outstanding female junior from every high school in California, were gathered together to learn and share. We collaborated to create laws that governed our mock state. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to be a positive advocate for the irreplaceable California dairy industry. I was extremely shocked and surprised to witness how many people had never seen a live cow or stepped foot on a dairy. I lived in the dorms with a group of 31 girls and only two of us were involved in agriculture. I was stunned!

My roommate was from Long Beach and thought it was so cool that we actually had such a thing as a Dairy Princess, since she had never even been on a dairy or farm before. Another girl, who I became friends with and will actually be doing an exchange with, was fascinated by the heavy influence that the dairy industry has on my city, county, and state. In the fall she wants to visit me and experience "farm life" and I will get the opportunity to see first hand what it is like to live in the city.

During one of our sessions when we were setting up our political party platforms, I sat in on the environmental platform. I was surprised to hear all of the false information that these girls had been given about agriculture. I had the opportunity to correct someone who blamed methane on cows and after the discussion she came up to me and thanked me for enlightening her on the facts about cows and methane that I had acquired at Dairy Princess training. I was very concerned for the future of our state, realizing that the elite group of young, talented women is going to be the future of our state legislation and decision makers. I did my very best to present the girls with facts and shared my personal experiences to show these future leaders the positive influences that agriculture plays in their everyday lives. Overall, the California Girl State Experience was incredible and a fabulous opportunity for me to spread a positive message about our amazing California dairy industry.

Sincerely,

Sarena

District 9 Tulare County Dairy Princess