Tuxedo middle-schooler attends World Leadership Forum in nation's capital

Washington, D.C. — Marie Meore, a seventh grade student at George Grant Mason Middle School, was accepted last spring to participate in the People to People World Leadership Forum. Marie joined a select group of students in Washington, D.C. from April 2-8 this year, earning high school credit, studying leadership and exploring some of the United States’ most prominent monuments and institutions. From Capitol Hill to the Smithsonian Institute, from Colonial Williamsburg to the National Museum of American History, Marie examined the characteristics of American leadership during times of national challenge and prosperity. As a delegate, Marie also participated in small-group discussions and exercises to experience first-hand how successful leaders develop strategies, make decisions, build consensus and foster change. Marie toured Capitol Hill and visited the New York State’s congressional offices. She also had the honor of attending an embassy dinner at the Saudi Arabian Embassy and was able to learn about their culture, government policies and institutions. She was nominated by her sixth grade teacher, Barbara Voss, and was accepted for the honor based on outstanding scholastic merit, civic involvement and leadership potential. The program is coordinated by People to People Student Ambassador Programs to fulfill the vision Dwight D. Eisenhower had for fostering world citizenship when he founded People to People during his presidency in 1956. “I learned so much more than I ever expected,” Marie reflected. “It was hard work, everyday, and you knew the next day there would be more work, but it was the best work I’ve ever done. “I made so many friends from all over the country and the world who, even though we were different, we were really the same in so many ways. “I found a quote by Thomas Jefferson at the Jefferson Memorial that inspired me and probably always will. It reads: ‘The field of knowledge is the common property of all mankind.’”