During the annual Youth and Government assembly, several candidates from delegations across Illinois campaigned for roles like the Youth Chief Justice, Youth Governor, Youth Lieutenant Governor, and Youth Secretary of State. Metea Valley junior Rachel Chen, one of the Chief Justice candidates, was elected to the position for the 2025-2026 term.
The election process began when Youth and Government hosted events that involved campaigning, speeches, advocating, and promotion. Candidates attended Pre-Leg 1, Pre-Leg 2, and Pre-Leg 3 at Neuqua Valley High School and Waubonsie Valley High School, where students prepared for the major trip to Springfield. Chen, supported by the Metea Valley delegation, gave a speech to promote her plans for the next year. Social studies teacher and one of the Youth and Government sponsors, Susan Fuhrer, explains the election process.
“There are three regions in Illinois determined by Youth and Government, and each region gets to vote and select one candidate,” Fuhrer said. “The best candidate from each region goes to Springfield, and Springfield is the state competition.”
(Struan Somerville)
Chen won the election for Chief Justice with a total of 319 votes, followed by Arya Shankar with 154 votes and Bhargavi Vaidya with 153 votes.
Chen claims to have learned a lot from the election process, and she used the various events throughout the year as a networking opportunity. Chen’s goal is to meet several delegations and connect with them on issues within the program to work towards improvement.
“I made a lot of personal connections with other people, and many people appreciated that. So I think that that was a big plus for that process,” Chen said.
As newly elected Chief Justice, Chen has set several goals, including expanding the Youth and Government’s judicial program. Currently, Metea Valley, Waubonsie Valley, and Neuqua Valley have the largest delegations, and Chen plans to grow the judicial program to reach southern delegations.
Chen explains one of her other priorities as Chief Justice, emphasizing the importance of communication between delegations all over the state.
“I would love to speak more one-on-one with each delegation, especially when trying to expand the judicial program, to make sure that we’re really addressing the specific needs of each delegation and not just overlooking them,” Chen said.
Fuhrer explains the importance of Chen’s job and stresses the importance of recognizing the role that government plays in our society and nation.
“I think what’s really important is that we recognize how important the courts are today in our system. It’s not just who’s in the executive branch and who is in the legislative branch, but it also is the rule of law,” Fuhrer said. “The purpose and role of the courts is to make sure that actions are constitutional, that we’re in accordance with the law. And that’s really what Rachel’s job is,” Fuhrer said.
Chen’s win is significant for both Metea Valley and the Youth and Government program. As Chief Justice, she aims to take meaningful steps towards progress and is committed to fulfilling her duties when she begins her term. Chen is grateful to her supporters for voting for her, and hopes to do her best as the newly elected Chief Justice.
