Durant teens came away from 2019 Oklahoma Boys State as winners of elections to high office at the leadership training event.
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Incoming seniors in the DHS Class of 2020, Isaiah Wright was elected governor and Mason Phillips was elected insurance commissioner in the “statewide” voting that takes place during the week.
The Oklahoma American Legion Boys State is billed as “a non-partisan intensive week of leadership, government, and patriotism.” Delegates to the annual event, which has been around since the 1930s, have just completed their junior year of high school and have been selected by their local American Legion Post as representatives of the best of their community.
Wright and Phillips attended the week-long leadership training, held on the campus of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, and had the opportunity learn more about Oklahoma government through classroom work and government simulations like a mock legislature, state executive offices, and a court system.
“My experience was a little bit different than Isaiah’s because I didn’t get to be governor,” Phillips joked. “All the same, it was fun. We were always on the move – marching or trying not to march.”
Being presented by the American Legion, there are aspects of the week that have a ‘military’ feel to them. Additionally, veterans are recognized and honored during the week.
“It was really wild,” Wright said. “I got there and I saw people with their shirts tucked in. They were wearing T-shirts tucked into blue jeans and a belt. It kind of caught me off guard. People don’t normally wear that around here.
“Then I got to my city and met my counselors and citizens from Wilson City, which is where I was from, and we got to get together and get to know one another and it was great.
“Then we started marching. And my first thought was, ‘I miss my mom.’ We’re marching in the heat and everything. I thought it was going to be a lot harder than what it was, but it turned out to be easier once you down the rhythm and the cadences of it.”
The attendees arrived on Saturday and were assigned to fictitious cities and counties with “Oklahoma” and also were assigned to the political parties of “Boomer” and “Sooner,” which have no bearing or resemblance to actual political parties.
Wright was elected mayor of Wilson City .
“This is why I got this yellow shirt – it’s the mayoral shirt,” Wright said. “And from there, that’s where I got to have a lot of fun.
“I don’t know a lot about the military, but I do have political aspirations. I want to be the governor in real life one day. So that’s when I got to shine.
“Running for governor was a great experience and I feel like I learned a lot from it.”
Wright and Phillips experienced county primaries for state offices and then on to party primaries.
“From Drake County, there were two candidates and I won that one,” Wright said. “Then we went to the party primaries – I was in the Boomer Party and Mason was, too. There were four Boomer party candidates and then I went on to face the Sooner party nominee and we took it.”
Phillips had fewer opponents on the road to the office of insurance commissioner.
“Zero at the start,” Phillips said. “I just went up there and got selected by everybody. And then when the primaries came, I went up against four other candidates and won that and won the election.”
Phillips, who plans to attend Southeastern following graduation and be in the aviation program, said that what he took away from Boys State was learning from the people.
“I would go up to random people and just say, ‘Hey, I’m Mason Phillips.’ And then I would just learn everything I could and get their contacts to help me advance in the camp and outside, too.”
Wright plans to attend Yale next fall, and if not the Ivy League school, then Duke or Georgetown.
“My biggest takeaway from Boys State was the networking. I got to meet so many people from all across the state that I would not have been able to meet, had I not gone to Boys State.
“They say Boys Staters are the ‘Cream of the Crop’ and that we are going to be the leaders of tomorrow. So it really helped me out to go meet them and network with people who will be changing the world alongside me the next 10-15 years and to have the contact with them and a base to be able to say to someone, ‘Hey do you want to be involved?’ or ‘Hey, do you need any help?’
“And also the staff members who I’m keeping in contact with. I’m asking the advice and questions about political things. And even just talk about thoughts I’ve had and they talk with me about those. I can bounce ideas off them and grow as a person.”
He also had a message to anyone who may have a chance to be a delegate in the future.
“If you ever have a chance to go to Boys State, I recommend it. It will change your life and put you in contact with some really great people that you’ll be friends with forever.”