College: Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas
Major: Public Policy
When you think of the Youth and Government (YAG) program here at KHS, the first face that should pop into your mind is Eva Smith. Smith, senior and governor of YAG, has always had an interest in government, but was unable to pursue this during her freshman year due to COVID. However, she immediately took advantage of the opportunity to join YAG during her sophomore year. From there, her impact on the program began.
Lisa Shinabargar, one of the sponsors of YAG, said Smith greatly influenced the program. She joined at a time when only upperclassmen were involved, causing her to be the only underclassman at the first meeting. However, Shinabargar said this did not intimidate Smith, rather, she embraced being the youngest person there.
“What I love about Eva is her overall bubbly personality and willingness to include everyone,” Shinabargar said. “She can [get along] with anyone and makes everybody feel welcomed.”
Shinabargar said Smith’s role in YAG is governor. She said her duties include reading bills and deciding whether she wants to sign them.
“In terms of the actual youth government program, she does a ton,” Shinabargar said. “She’s one of the executive members so they make key decisions about how the government will run and the logistics of it.”
One person Smith welcomed into YAG is her boyfriend of almost two years, Evan Pazero, senior. Pazero said he wasn’t very interested in government when he first joined at the start of his junior year, but similar to many others, Smith convinced him to give YAG a chance.
“[Eva] is definitely the face of YAG,” Pazero said. “She did a bunch of campaigning trying to get people to join, and we saw membership grow a lot this year. She’s made a big impact on the future of the program.”
Smith said she has loved learning about how the government functions throughout her high school career. However, she is looking forward to expanding her knowledge even more during college.
“I’m still exploring [my career path], but I think with internships that I do, and just other experiences that I’ll get through college, I’ll be able to finalize that,” Smith said. “For now, I’m thinking [about becoming a] legislator [and] writing laws and being really [involved].”
