A love of the law

Kalispell girl the lone local Girls State delegate

Mercedes Oxford was born to be a lawyer.

It could be all the games of Clue she played when she was younger. Or maybe it was all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books she used to read, or the episodes of "Law and Order" that held her spellbound.

Now 17 and an incoming senior at Glacier High School, Oxford has moved on to truTV, opting for dramatic, real-life TV over what she calls unrealistic shows. Instead of reading about teen sleuths, John Grisham novels and law books are on her bookshelf. She carries a copy of the Montana Constitution and Black's Law Dictionary in her backpack.

"I really, really like law," she said.

Her love of the law led Oxford to this year's Girls State convention in Helena. She was the only student from the Flathead Valley to attend.

"It was kind of horrible at first. I was the only one from my county," Oxford said. "It was kind of shocking that I was the only one."

Girls State, hosted each year by the American Legion Auxiliary, teaches high school juniors good citizenship and the workings of American government. The American Legion puts on a counterpart, Boys State, for junior boys.

Before last year, Oxford had never heard of the conventions, except in passing at school. Then something happened to take Oxford on the next step of her exploration of government and law: Her precalculus teacher's son got sick.

Oxford's teacher took a sick day to take care of her child, and her class had a substitute teacher.

The sub, whose name Oxford can't remember, was involved in the American Legion, and he gave the class a plug for Girls State.

He told the students it was a great opportunity to meet other juniors from across the state and that they could learn all about government. Oxford was intrigued, and she gave the substitute teacher her address so he could mail her information about the program and an application.

She was accepted, and at the end of May, shortly before the conference, she asked her guidance counselor if she could carpool with other local participants.

Counselor Glenna Schaible called the valley's other high schools and then reported back to Oxford.

"Um, I have good news and bad news," Oxford recalled Schaible saying. "The good news is, I got you a soda. The bad news is, you're the only one going, so you have to drive."

Oxford drove herself to Carroll College May 30. After the initial shock of being the only Flathead student among about 200 convention participants, she made friends with girls from across Montana.

Meeting people from all over the state, with their varied opinions, was the best part of the conference, Oxford said. They discussed and debated topics currently under scrutiny across Montana - everything from gambling to wolf management.

Hearing the differences of opinion, especially between girls from Western Montana and more rural Eastern Montana, was fascinating, Oxford said.

"There were a lot of different opinions for how Montana should be run," she said.

The girls also heard from guest speakers throughout the weeklong conference. They learned about all levels of government, from local school boards to city councils and county commissions to state government to the nation's highest authorities.

It 'really gave me a broad view" about the different components of the U.S. government, Oxford said.

She also got to meet several people involved with state government. Oxford was delighted to learn that Montana Supreme Court Justice Patricia O'Brien Cotter also carries a law dictionary and a copy of the state Constitution.

Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger allowed her to touch a buffalo mount in the Capitol building for luck.

She also met Attorney General Steve Bullock, Secretary of State Linda McCulloch and State Superintendent of Schools Denise Juneau, all of whom Oxford campaigned for last year.

"I really, really wanted to get involved," she said. "We have a lot of power as young people. I can do everything but vote.

"I really care about the future and way things are going to be run."

Oxford said she would like to campaign for Girls State to make sure that more high school students are aware of the conference. It's only open to juniors, so she won't be able to go again, but she hopes other local students take advantage of it.

Oxford plans to continue her study of law and government.

She has taken classes at Flathead Valley Community College since her sophomore year of high school and is halfway to an associate's degree in criminal justice. She plans to study prelaw at the University of Montana but hasn't yet decided where she'll go to law school.

Ultimately she hopes to go into humanitarian law or become a district attorney.

"I really think you can do a lot of good" in law, she said.

On the Net:

www.legion-aux.org/Programs/GirlsState_GirlsNation/index.aspx

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com