In July, Nease senior Hailey Pitches was selected for the American Legion Auxiliary’s Girls Nation, a first for school’s NJROTC program where she is the battalion commanding officer. Chief Warrant Officer Michael Donato said no other female cadet in the past 30 years of the program is known to have been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Girls Nation is open to any girl who is a high school junior, not just JROTC members. Annually, it gives select young women — two from each state — firsthand experience with the workings of the federal government.
The chance of being selected is very small, but no one who knows Hailey is likely to be surprised she was chosen. A natural leader with a pronounced can-do outlook, she has attained the NJROTC’s highest rank among 200 cadets.
But before traveling to Washington, D.C., to join 92 other young women, Hailey had to first be selected for Girls State. After an interview process, she joined 299 others in that program, which was held in June at Florida State University. There, participants learned about parliamentary procedure and the legislative process at the state level. They also held elections for their “city’s” mayor and their “state’s” governor.
Hailey ran unsuccessfully for mayor, but that turned out to be a good thing because it paved the way for even bigger success. She ran for party chair and won. Her new role running rallies and caucuses appealed to her, but there was something she liked even more.
Because she’d had leadership experience in the NJROTC, Hailey became a kind of mentor to many other girls and even helped her mayor.
“I think that’s what I loved the most about it,” she said. “That mentorship portion.”
When the participants were polled on who within their “city” was the most outstanding “Girls Stater,” Hailey received 29 out of 30 votes. The one she didn’t receive was her own; she’d voted for her mayor.
That poll turned out to be a contributing factor in the selection of two young women to represent Florida at Girls Nation. Following an interview process, Hailey was selected for that as well.
At Girls Nation, participants proposed and discussed legislation. They also ran elections for a “president” and “vice president.” Once again serving as party chair, Hailey ran conventions and worked diligently to ensure party members felt valued so that they wouldn’t be tempted to cross party lines during the election.
In the end, Hailey’s candidates won.
She said the experience helped her grow in confidence and recognize her own resiliency.
Hailey joined the NJROTC as a freshman, inspired by a friend who was a year ahead of her. But first, she had to convince her family that this was right for her.
“It’s a leadership-building program,” she said. “That’s what I saw it as.”
She won the support of her family and has worked hard to get to her current rank.
“I’m a big proponent of the NJROTC program,” she said. “There’s nothing like it. The travel, the experience, the opportunities you get through NJROTC is just unlike anything else in high school.”
And those opportunities are there for those willing to work for them.
“It doesn’t matter who you are,” Hailey said. “You are equal with every single freshman who comes in, and you can get leadership if you earn it.”
Hailey plans to attend one of the U.S. service academies after graduation, her top choice being the Air Force Academy. Ultimately, she hopes to be commissioned in the Space Force.
“I’d love to serve my country through the ‘Final Frontier,’” she said.
