By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
For 29 years, Gwen Schroeder-Zulch has seen first-hand the impact Buckeye Girls State has on the delegates who arrive from across Ohio.
The weeklong program offers hands-on experiences that go far beyond a basic government class in high school, she said. The participants elect government officials at the city, county and state level and simulate the work of active government entities.
“It’s a privilege to be among these young women and an amazing staff,” Schroeder-Zulch said after the conclusion of the 2023 conference held in her hometown Bowling Green. “These kids get to my heart, and they stay in my heart forever,” even after they have graduated and started their own families.
What started as a volunteer opportunity as a nurse for the program in 1994 developed into an all-out labor of love. She has served as secretary to the director, director of counselors in charge of all the government advisors, and in 2022 she was asked by the Ohio American Legion Auxiliary president to oversee the program as Buckeye Girls State director.
It’s a badge she wears proudly, despite the months of planning and the nonstop oversight before and during the week the girls are on campus. The work of the director, which is 100% volunteer, is especially fulfilling for someone who admittedly can’t sit still for long.
With Ohio having one of the largest Girls State events, Schroeder-Zulch was basically the commander in chief for 515 high schoolers and 85 volunteer staff members.
“Being the director of Buckeye Girls State Is a big position and a lot of hard work, but the rewards are ongoing,” she said.
The number of participants hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic participation when upwards of 1,000 individuals attended. After canceling in 2020 because of Covid, the numbers have increased each year as the benefits are shared when the delegates return home.
The auxiliary’s decision to return to Bowling Green State University’s campus this after nearly 27 years did not have to do with the Bowling Green area being her hometown. In fact, she did not have a vote in the decision to leave the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, where they had been for 12 years. They sought proposals from different venues in an effort to keep the program fresh and moving forward.
Often cost is the motivating factor for choosing the site, but this time, BGSU’s Conference Services customer service and the beauty of the campus won over the decision-makers, she said. “Dr. Michael Brown, Patrick Nelson and the entire team went above and beyond the call of duty. They even had Freddie and Frieda Falcon attend one of the lunches and the girls loved that,” Schroeder-Zulch said.
BGSU President Rodney Rogers stayed longer than he had been scheduled and stopped in several additional times during the week. “That’s the type of customer service and engagement we are looking for,” she said.
She understood Rogers’ interest in the program and wished she had participated when she was a Bowling Green High School student in the 1970s. Though she didn’t have that opportunity, as a Buckeye Girls State insider for nearly 30 years, she has developed a reverence for the magic that takes place during the week each year.
Year after year, Schroeder-Zulch maintains a positive perspective about the program, yet she was surprised at the quality of this year’s delegates.
She said the enthusiasm of the girls this year was off the charts. They wanted to be here and be involved. While some of the members appreciate the safe environment that Girls State offers, others are determined to take an active role in the process.
“This group has dealt with Covid and all of the world happenings,” which seems to have affected their eagerness to be involved. “When they went into the House and Senate sessions, they pulled out all the stops. They wrote bills, debated issues and worked on topics that are relevant to what’s going on now,” she said.
She was proud of the way the girls stepped up when given the opportunity to lead. For the first time this year, Schroeder-Zulch and her team decided to let the delegates get involved when Gov. Mike DeWine visited on Wednesday.
“Delegates met with and got to introduce the governor. We stepped back and the girls stepped up as leaders,” she said. Seeing that level of leadership was one of the highlights for her this year. Next year she hopes they can implement additional opportunities.
The rewards are in the notes and the words of thanks she receives. She has a stack of letters and cards from many participants that she hasn’t yet been able to read through them all without shedding tears of pride and joy.
“For me and all the staff, knowing we’ve made a difference for one young lady, maybe made her life a little better, a little easier, then we have accomplished something and achieved our goal. I want them to know they are the future. They are the ones we will look to lead this country, state, county or city.”
At the end, she heard from many delegates that Buckeye Girls State was the best experience of their young lives. “that’s what gets you,” she said, and what brought her to tears at the closing ceremony.
