Hoosier Boys State

Since Hoosier Boys State first started we have reached out to over 60,000 hoosier youths. Some notable ones include:

Other notable people that have participated in the Boys State program around the US include:

Words from previous alumni:

William DeBoer

My name is William DeBoer, and three years ago I took your Media in Politics Special School during my week at Hoosier Boys State. I remember it well; much like its slogan, HBS was a “week to shape a lifetime,” as it has certainly shaped mine. Thanks to that week at Trine in June 2009, I am doing work I love in a place I belong surrounded by an upstanding and supportive community. I wanted to take a moment to let you know what is happening in my life now and to thank you and Hoosier Boys State for what you did to bring me here.

I am currently a sophomore at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, right on the coast of Lake Michigan (and an MIAA school like Trine), double majoring in Communication and Political Science. Two of my most important activities on campus are media related. First, I am an executive board member at WTHS Holland 89.9 FM, “The Commercial-Free Voice of Hope College.” I have held positions as Production and News Director since the beginning of the academic year. I have also been a DJ on that station since early in my freshman year: my show, Freeze Frame with Will DeBoer, airs Tuesday nights at 9:00 and plays “ALL the best hits of the ’80s, ’90s, and NOW!” I have had an amazing time on the radio, and good things have come through my work at the station: next weekend I will help represent WTHS at the annual Intercollegiate Broadcasting System International College Radio & Webcasting Conference in New York City.

This semester I have also been involved in a project in the Communication department to start up an Internet television station devoted to streaming basketball games, other sporting events, and maybe even some original programming. Through this project I have been able to pick up experience doing play-by-play basketball commentary, and I have also gained behind-the-scenes experience, learning the NewTek Tricaster system and how to direct a broadcast. This program has been extremely valuable to me, as it has given me practice toward my ambition of becoming a professional sportscaster. My dream job at this point would be the play-by-play position for New York Mets games on SNY, the cable sports channel that telecasts all Mets games. So baseball would be my favorite sport to broadcast, but I will my options open and learn other sports as well. I still remember your advice to me: there aren’t many people who can do the uncommon sports (hockey, soccer, even horse racing); learn one of those and you’ll have a leg up on the competition.

I’ve been reflecting on my time at Hope recently and it amazes me how much I owe to that one week in Angola three summers ago. Before HBS, I had my heart set on attending a big university, maybe one in a big city. I hadn’t even considered the possibilities of a small, liberal arts college. But spending time on Trine’s small campus opened me to the possibility that this was something I would enjoy, which in turn led me to go to the HBS College Fair in the middle of the week. There were many small colleges with booths at that fair, and I was impressed enough by a handful of them. But when I arrived at Hope’s booth, I had no idea how blown away I would be. That encounter sent me to Holland for a visit, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It’s remarkable how much of who I am today comes from Hoosier Boys State and my limited time with you. I am flourishing academically at a top-notch liberal arts college, I’m gaining significant experience in the field I wish to join after graduating, and I have met so many wonderful, caring people and have grown into a faith I never knew I had. I think back on that time and how different my life would be if I had not gone to HBS, or even simply decided to skip that College Fair in the middle of the week. But God had a plan for me, and thankfully with His blessing I was able to follow it.

That week in Angola was a major turning point in my life, one for which I will be forever thankful. And so, from the bottom of my heart, I wish to thank you, Trine University, and Hoosier Boys State for helping to make me the man I am today. If you ever need someone to attest to this program as “A Week to Shape a Lifetime,” you will always be able to count on me.

Most sincerely,

William DeBoer
Hope College Class of 2014
Hoosier Boys State Alum, 2009

Kevin Schultz

To the Honorable Steve Bowman, Director Hoosier Boys State:

I thought I would drop you a note.  Several weeks ago a neighbor youth of mine attended Colorado Boys State in Pueblo and inquired prior to his departure to what it was and what it is about.  He had heard that I attended this event many years ago (1979, Hoosier Boys State) and wanted to maximize his experience.

My response to him was something along these lines:

“I remember that attending this event was my first exposure to the American Legion and to how Government really operates.  I came from a very small school (Van Buren High School with an enrollment of around 300 students). I remember attending the General Sessions and Party Conventions.  I remember staying in the dorm room adjacent to a young African-American from Lafayette named John Brown who was the first African-American youth I ever had extensive discussions with.  I came away very impressed with him and that impression forever lingered in my mind (he would later be elected Governor of HBS).  I remember running for office and making it to the final cut in the convention for State Auditor.  I remember living in Brennan City. I remember the regiment and marching discipline. I recall meeting peers from all over the state and how excited and interesting that was.”

In thinking about that June, 1979 week in Terre Haute, I realized how that was the pre-emptive strike in a career that would span the globe, take me to places a country boy from Center Point, IN would never imagine.  Until he asked me the question, I never realized the profound impact that event had on my life.  It exposed me to the outside world, developed friendships, taught me the ways of government, instilled personal discipline, and fostered my break from the small cornfields from which I was raised unto a much bigger stage.

Just to give you some idea of where I went from there:

Attended Indiana University 1980-1984
Attended Indiana University Graduate School 1984-1985
Served as in a variety of roles with the Department of Defense 1985-1989
Served on President George H.W. Bush White House Staff 1989-1992
Served as DOD BRAC Program Manager 1992-1998
Became Global Director/VP of Services for Storage Technology Corp 1998-2004
Founded and continue to serve as MultiTek Corp President and CEO 2004 to present.

I just wanted to send you a note so you could realize how your one week can change the course of young men’s lives.  How they may not understand at the time what the opportunity means but over time they will come to realize, as I have, that it might be one for the best 4-5 days they will ever spend in their life.

Thank you to people like yourself that continue to perpetuate this program and the opportunity it presents to our youth!

Sincerely,

Kevin Schultz
President/CEO
MultiTek Corp

Cindy Bantista

Jordan just returned home today from Boys State and I was so impressed with everything he was telling me about his week. To see such enthusiasm and excitement from a 17 year old is quite refreshing!  I truly believe, based on what Jordan told me, this experience will be a defining moment in his life.

Jordan told me that it gave him hope for our future and for our future government leaders based on the young men he met this past week. To hear such a profound statement, brought tears to my eyes. Jordan told me that this past week reinforced his belief in seeking a career in law and possibly seeking government office. He said it was refreshing to share a week with people that had similar beliefs and shared a common hope for our country and our future government leaders.

Wow! We went into this experience very ignorant since we knew very little about Boys State. But it has been a wonderful experience for Jordan and we are grateful to the American Legion for giving him that opportunity. Jordan said he is interested in joining the Sons of the Legion, also. I suggested Jordan contact you and maybe he could talk to the Franklin American Legion about his experience and what it meant to him.

Thank you and your members for allowing our young men and women to experience Hoosier Boys and Girls State. It truly is changing lives.

Sincerely,

Cindy Bantista