Every year, KHTS leads a bus full of community leaders in the Santa Clarita Valley and head north to Sacramento to help individuals gain a better understanding of the challenges our state legislative officials face.

This year more than 90 of the Santa Clarita Valley’s community leaders have been invited to have an impact on decision makers in the State Capitol. There are also four local high school students that are going courtesy of California Credit Union and SCVi Charter School.

“I am excited that we could sponsor the kids so they could go on the trip,” said Michelle Wagemaker-Dawdy Branch Manager at California Credit Union. “These kids are going to be representing us in the future so any opportunity they get to be around community leaders is great.”

The two students sponsored by California Credit Union are seniors Meagan Mestas of Saugus High School and Richa Shah from Valencia High School.

“I was ASB President and my advisor recommended it to me. My principal talked to me about it and I thought it was a great opportunity,” Shah said. “I think this will be a great way to learn about what goes into running the state.”

Mestas is the Saugus ASB President and also the student board member for the Hart District and this trip benefit her with her future plans.

“My goal is to get into the communications program at USC,” Mestas said. “I want to be a public relations representative and maybe politics will play are role, you never know.”

SCVi Charter School will be sending students up for the second year.

“This trip is especially fabulous for our student ambassadors who get to learn about the government process and leadership,” said Amber Raskin, Executive Director of SCVi . “Our school is all about student voice and teaching kids that they have power over their world and that they can contribute so it was just a natural progression for us to take students up there to show that at a state level.”

On the 2012 Sacramento Road Trip, SCVi brought one student but this year two lucky students, Sydney Hild and Paige Guarino, both sophomores, will take the trip. Hild is excited for the opportunity.

“I love seeing new places and traveling,” Hild said. “I don’t know a lot about the government system so anything I can learn will be awesome.”

Guarino has already started her political career at SCVi.

“I was running for SCVi Board and they haven’t officially voted me in but I am the last one running so I am going to say that I got it,” Guarino said jokingly. “After high school I want to study political science and law so it’s great to get exposed to it from the source.”

KHTS Owner Carl Goldman said this is especially important for these individuals going on the trips.

“Part of the mission here is to pass the torch to the future generation,” Goldman said. “This is an incredible opportunity to do that, the kids get to spend two days in the capitol, not only with California’s leaders, but also with more than 90 Santa Clarita Valley leaders.”