To the 2009 Illinois Boys Staters:
Welcome. Obviously you are very outgoing and optimistic people but you most likely have no idea what your week at Boys State will be like. I had no idea what to expect when I arrived as well. My only advice to give is to get involved. There are tons of opportunities and activities here at Boys State and the best way to have a good time is to get involved. Getting involved in sports and government allows you to meet the people living in your county. You will be spending the entire week with these boys so it is important that you get to know them. The dorms are a great place to sleep but you do not want to spend your entire week in your dorm.
Anyone is capable of winning an office at Boys State. Campaign well and be a good sport and you will be surprised how far you can go. When I arrived I had no intentions of running for any office. A friend of mine named Jeff convinced me to run for States Attorney. I won and decided to run for Attorney General just to see how far I could go. Before I knew it I had won Attorney General thinking “How did I pull that off?”
Use your time at Boys State wisely; you only have a week so make it worth your while. Become friends with as many people as you can because odds are you will not see the boys with whom you came here until the week is over.

Alex Dunn - 2008 Citizen
Attorney General
2009 Assistant Counselor