Hi, my name is Andy. I recently participated on Close Up's Washington High School Program. It was truly amazing. I learned how our government works and how we, as young citizens, can make a big difference. I met with Reps and Senators on Capitol Hill and discussed real policy issues with them that affect my daily life. The program made the things we read in textbooks at school come alive. Maybe the best part was that I met kids from 14 schools from around the country and still keep in touch with many of them. Meeting these students showed me that, although we might have different opinions on certain topics, we need to work together to make our government work. As part of the program, I earned 1 college credit from the University of Virginia, writing a paper suggesting some solutions to our country's problem with poverty. To see part of it,
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