MARYSVILLE — Gianna Frank and Claire Michal have been best friends since third grade.
They made history in Washington D.C. this past year, representing their hometown of Marysville in the prestigious U.S. Senate Youth Program.
Last year, Michal was sent to the nation’s capital to represent Washington state as a delegate. For a week, she met with elected officials, giving her and about 100 other students from across the country in-depth exposure to how their democracy functions.
When Michal came back, she urged Frank to apply to the program for 2024, even though Frank didn’t have the same interest in politics.
“She coaxed me into applying,” Frank said. “I was like, ‘Claire, there’s no way I’m getting this.’”
Following a four-month application process, the program leaders chose Frank to be one of the two delegates from Washington. It marked the first time in the program’s 62-year history that two students from the same district were chosen in back-to-back years.
Michal is a senior at Marysville Getchell High School and Frank is a senior at Marysville Pilchuck High School. They both have extensive resumes in student leadership, academics and athletics.
In February, the Marysville City Council passed a proclamation enshrining Feb. 14 as “Claire Michal and Gianna Frank Day” in the city.
“How many people get to have a day in their hometown named after them and their best friend?” Michal said.
For the two teens who lived in Marysville for almost their entire lives, it was a surreal moment. Frank said one of her teachers printed a shirt with her face on it to wear on that day.
“Talk about the future being bright for Marysville,” Superintendent Zachary Robbins said at the council meeting.
Though she endured a selective application process, preparing for her week in D.C. was nerve-wracking, Frank said.
During a group interview portion, prior to her acceptance, she recognized other students who were in the running for her spot. She felt intimidated by other kids she called “powerhouses.”
When she received her acceptance email, she was in the middle of conducting band practice. She froze up in disbelief.
“‘I am this kid from Marysville, Washington,’” Frank said, “I don’t belong here. That’s what I kept telling myself.”
Over the course of her experience in D.C., Frank’s mindset began to change. She started opening up more and taking chances to speak in front of a crowd of her peers — something she couldn’t imagine herself doing before.
“I started to realize that I had a place there and that I was selected for a reason,” Frank said, “because it’s no easy process.”
In June, both students will graduate from high school and leave Marysville for college. But they’ll both keep the lessons they learned in D.C. as they move into a career.
Michal has always considered working in public service, and after her time in the program, that idea grew. She learned no matter what career path she might take, she should always find ways to serve others.
“If you’re not living a life in service to others, you’re not living your life to the fullest,” she said.
The program also changed the way she saw and understood politics.
“You see all these people on TV, and I think it’s really easy to divorce the politician from the human,” Michal said.
After meeting dozens of elected officials in person, she saw them with more honesty and humanity.
“In our environment, there is so much polarization and conflict and framing each other in a ‘versus’ mindset,” Michal said. “You get to see all these elected officials in a more human sense.”
Coming from a family of Democrats, Frank said she hasn’t always been inclined to hear out people from other parties. After meeting dozens of leaders and delegates who weren’t Democrats, she began to feel that partisan divide collapse just by listening to what they had to say.
“Everyone has similar views, it’s just the way they approach things that are different,” she said.
Last week, Michal was accepted to Harvard Universty. She is “99% certain” that’s where she will end up. She wants to study political science and enter a career relating to international policy and nonprofits.
Frank is leaning toward attending California State University, San Bernardino on a track and field scholarship. She wants to study biological psychology and eventually become a pediatric neuropsychologist.
Frank’s biggest takeaway from the program: “I’m capable of doing anything, despite my doubts.”
Jenelle Baumbach: 360-352-8623; jenelle.baumbach@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jenelleclar.
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