Life-long memories fostered at Hoosier Girls State

By AIDA KARIM
news@readthereporter.com

Tomorrow’s leaders are shaped through formative high school experiences.

Each year the American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) hosts a week-long summer camp for girls entering their senior year of high school. ALA Hoosier Girls State (ALAHGS) centers around instilling leadership and patriotism through a mock election process on the city, county, and state level, with subsequent party divisions and other nuances of the real political process.

The program isn’t exclusive to just girls, with an ALA Hoosier Boys State hosted yearly, following the same structure and basic organization.

The Reporter spoke with Kayla Aba, Alisha Kundi, and Madeline Wiemeyer, all girls who attended the 2026 ALAHGS season.

Aba, a Carmel High School student and the 2026 ALAHGS governor, said she chose to run on the state level, vying for governor and successfully securing the position.

“I tried and pushed myself to do what I wanted to do. I didn’t wanna have any regrets,” Aba said.

Aba said another central reason why she chose to run was because she wanted to show people leadership comes in many different forms.

She said, “You don’t have to fit a certain box, anybody can be a leader, and everybody is a leader in their own way.”

According to Kundi, delegate and Carmel High School student, she chose to run for a state-level position as well.

“Even though I lost, I feel like I didn’t truly lose anything because I came back home with a lot more friends and connections all over the state,” Kundi said. “It gave me a new perspective and I think I can apply it to future endeavors.”

Wiemeyer, a delegate and Fishers High School student, said she ran for County Circuit Court Judge and County Federalist Party Chairman.

Wiemeyer said with her role as party chairman, “In different state meetings, I would be one of the voting delegates, which was a fun experience.”

Friendship

Aba, Kundi, and Wiemeyer all attested to the significance of building new friendships at ALAHGS with girls from incredibly different communities.

According to Aba, she learned how to be a better team player and supporter to her friends through activities like making posters and campaigning alongside other girls.

“Girls State made me connect with so many different people, people that I have nothing in common with,” Aba said. “The things I would talk their ears off about if they lived in Carmel, I literally didn’t speak of because I didn’t need to. We connected on literally so many other things.”

According to Kundi, she thinks the program shows that you don’t truly need to know someone for years to have a significant connection.

“Just having one thing in common or just knowing a little bit about someone else is enough to create lasting friendships,” Kundi said.

Improvements

Although Kundi and Wiemeyer said they enjoyed their experience overall, there are areas where structural improvements could be made.

According to Kundi, much of the program focuses on election success. That idea inherently encourages many girls to be disappointed with themselves even though the process is incredibly subjective.

Kundi said she would hate it if other girls took away significant discouragement from the experience, particularly if it were one of their first times putting themselves out there, speaking to a crowd of hundreds of people, only to be met with failure.

According to Wiemeyer, the first couple days at the camp were very confusing for her and many other girls.

“It’s a lot of information. They’re condensing six years of politics and elections in just a couple of days,” Wiemeyer said. “Making those explanations more clear or providing definite rules and their descriptions would help.”

Advice

Aba said she strongly encourages any girl who’s on the fence to sign up for ALAHGS. She said she didn’t know if any of her current friends would attend, but she still signed up and made some of the most important connections of her life.

Kundi said she encourages girls not to treat it like a competition, with you against someone else, but just treat it as a whole group experience where all of you guys are doing this together.

Wiemeyer said she believes girls need to push themselves, both socially and within elections, to make the most out of ALAHGS.

“You’re living with people in these dorms and nobody knows each other, but you all grow such a strong connection,” Wiemeyer said. “That only happens if you put yourself out there and allow yourself to talk to new people and get outside your comfort zone.”

All Indiana high school students currently in their junior year are eligible to register for ALA Hoosier Girls State or ALA Hoosier Boys State. Each student is typically sponsored by a local community member, covering a significant portion of the fee. Students should consult their school teachers or administration for more information.

According to Aba, “It was one of the best experiences of my summer and probably one of the most memorable moments of my life.”