Sandy Hook resident and rising junior at Westover School of Middlebury, Sophie Ackert attended Running Start’s Young Women’s Political Leadership Program, which was held in Washington, DC, from July 6 to 12.

After learning about the program from an administrator at her school, Sophie said she wrote multiple essays for her application to attend the event. Middlebury resident and fellow Westover School student Sarah Cavallaro also attended the program.

Running Start is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, based in Washington, DC, that encourages young women to run for office early, so that they can establish the tenure necessary to rise to political leadership positions, according to a release for the event. The 2015 Young Women’s Political Leadership Program is designed to promote Running Start’s mission by giving high school young women the encouragement, support, knowledge, and inspiration they need to be leaders in their schools and communities today, and be leaders on the national stage at a young age.

The Young Women’s Political Leadership Program focuses on the important issues facing young women today, and gives participants the tools to run for office. Participants were instructed on a host of topics such as public speaking, networking, media training, and campaign basics.

While Sophie said Running Start did not require her to study before attending the event in Washington, her parents encouraged her to study current events and research topics that other students attending the program would find important.

When Sophie was writing her essays to apply for the program, she said she focused on gun violence prevention.

Sophie said some of the larger topics at the program included women’s equality and immigration equality. Sophie said she found it interesting to hear from other girls her age what they find is important in America right now.

One of her favorite events during the program, Sophie said, was a "Women in the White House" discussion, which featured four speakers who shared their experiences of working in the White House and how they came to work there.

“I was so inspired,” said Sophie, following her trip.

Attending the Young Women’s Political Leadership Program, Sophie said, has inspired her to take even more effort for issues she wasn’t passionate about before attending the program.

“I got very interested in the topics,” Sophie said.

Sophie also said she would tell other girls to apply and attend the program in the future.

“Take the chance to apply, because the program was the best thing I have ever done in my life, hands down,” said Sophie, who also added that she made a number of new best friends on the trip.