2026 HSLP: Day 7

High School Leaders Program Class of 2026
Day 7: Friday, July 17
Reported by: Annabelle Bogdan, Amari Shah, and Eythan Huang

This morning, we woke up and had breakfast together at O-Hill. Then we headed over to
Shannon to begin the day's class. Our first speaker, who presented to our class today, was Kara
Kline. Kara attended Fluvanna High School in Virginia, but only got involved in politics once
she attended George Mason. She joined the Young Dems club at George Mason and worked her
way up to eventually lead the club. She got involved in campaigns, doing fieldwork during her
time at George Mason as well. In 2019, she became the president of the Young Dems of Virginia.
Additionally, she started a Young Dems chapter in the Charlottesville area for college graduates.
In addition to being the president of Young Dems of Virginia, she works at the Moore
Campaigns mail firm, where she helps interview campaign managers and sends mailers. These
mailers relate to both candidates and the topics of special elections.

After Kara Kline, our next speaker, who came to present to us, was Jenny Nichols. Jenny
Nichols began her political career at UV A Wise, where she got a Bachelor’s Degree in political
science. She spent time at home while her children were younger, and during that time, she
earned her insurance license. After a few years, she decided she wanted to go back to school and
got her MA in Political Analysis. Jenny noticed issues in her children's education, so she used
her knowledge to successfully run for the school board in Washington County. Jenny is also
involved in statewide school board associations and is focused on making a difference for the
students in her community.

We had the honor of speaking with Zach Villegas, a State Budget and Policy Analyst for
the Department of Planning and Budgeting. He shared his wisdom on how we should secure
funding for our policy projects and on the impact of budgeting on the workforce. He answered
our many questions concerning how the state government allocates funding and how the capital
inputs for programs have to match the capital output. He also talked about the current staffing
shortages in Public Safety and how he and his team are working to create incentives to attract
people to the Public Safety workforce.

Later in the afternoon, we received advice about pursuing a law degree from a law school
panel with John Daniels and Elisha Untiedt. John Daniels is currently attending law school at
American University in DC. He was chosen for the Virginia State Bar's Local Government
Fellowship and was a graduate of Sorensen’s Emerging Leaders Program. He talked about the
pros and cons of studying law, including work-life balance, stress management, and making a
difference in people's lives. Elisha Untiedt graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. in Political
Science on the pre-law track, and he is also an alum of the Sorensen HSLP in 2013. He
emphasized that in order to go to law school, you do not need to study a particular undergraduate
major. Elisha is now a criminal defense attorney, and sharing his work was very fulfilling. Both
John and Elisha answered our questions about the difference between “big law” and working for
smaller firms. We all benefited greatly from listening to the advice of legal professionals and
received valuable guidance on law school applications, the law school admissions process, and
job opportunities after graduation.

Our next speaker was Malena Llanos, currently the Deputy Political Director for Mark
Warner for Virginia. She was the former president of the Virginia Young Democrats, where she
was heavily involved in engaging people, especially younger generations, in politics and
boosting civic engagement. Drawing from her extensive experience in state government,
legislative offices, and political campaigns, she shared insights into the day-to-day work of
political organizing and public service.

For our last speaker of the day, we heard from Cody Anderson, Program Administrator at
the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Drawing on his experience
in state government, he explained how his department works to support economic development
in Virginia. He also took the time to answer many of our questions about our policy projects,
offering practical feedback and helping us think more critically about the feasibility of our
proposals.

We then went to O-Hill for a satisfying dinner and headed back to the dorms, where we
worked on preliminary policy reports, prepared for the Senate Simulation the next morning, and
played some hacky sack.