Lydia Mellor, a student here at JHS,  had the amazing opportunity to file for a scholarship with the Freedom Foundation. This foundation is a national, non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian educational organization founded in 1949.

Lydia was able to apply for this scholarship because her dad was a veteran. The trip was a scholarship for Amvets. As Lydia applied for this scholarship, they asked for all of her student information, what she volunteers for, etc. She soon received a letter in the mail saying she was accepted in the program, and she would be flying to Pennsylvania on November 3.

Immediately upon arriving, she attended a leadership conference. Lydia stayed at the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge in the Alexander Hamilton building. She had a roommate, Allison, whom Lydia quickly became associated with. Lydia said she met people from all over the country, including students from Alaska and Hawaii. They would have lectures everyday about how freedom can only be preserved if our leaders understand and appreciate America’s unique economic and political structures and the principles on which they rest. She said that they would communicate how most young people in America today graduate from college without understanding the value of American institutions or ideas. Yet these are our future economic, civic, and political leaders. On Friday Professor Lee and Professor Murphy introduced politics and how the Congress works. She said after the lectures they had a mock Congress, which in her words was “really fun” and how indolent the Congress can be. On Saturday they went to Philadelphia to the court and had a few mock trials. After all of that, they got to see the Liberty Bell.

Lydia Mellor says she made so many new friends and learned a great deal about political views which is what intrigued her to apply, and she would also like to recommend that if anyone has family in the military to apply for the Freedom Foundation scholarship.