The Junior State of America chapter from Downey High hosted a Mini Convention that took place on Sunday, April 3 in the B building. The Mini Con was a small, one-day convention that lasted from 9AM to 3PM. This event brought together students from all over Southern California JSA including Temple City High, Orange County High School of the Arts, Servite High, Rosary High, Oak Park High, Newberry High, and University High. JSA is the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit, student run organization. The club consists of a group of students that come together to debate political issues and take part in government-orientated activities.

“I’m a member of a JSA club,” sophomore Christina Gibbs said. “It’s fun–we get to hang out with friends and debate with each other.”

The convention is separated into different rooms which each held different debates or activities. Topics presented for debate included the necessity of the United Nations, censorship during crisis, sanitation laws, and foreign affair. More comedic debates were also held to foster the fun side of JSA. These lighter topics included a debate on Rebecca Black and various political games.

“The convention is interesting,” Hanna Suarez said. “Now that i know what this is all about, the Mini Con kind of pushed me forward, I look forward to JSA.”

The Mini Con is a first for the Downey chapter in JSA history, which was not only attended by students and teachers, but also councilman Fernando Vasquez, who spoke briefly to attendees. Currently, the Downey JSA chapter holds the largest mount of members in the club’s history and reached new heights by having it’s first ever Mini Con.

“I’m so proud of this accomplishment; it’s a good way to end four years of JSA for me,” JSA President Andrea Lomeli said. “Now I can say I’ll be leaving on a good note.”

Overall, the convention was an achievement and the students share an unanimous hope that the chapter will continue to strive for success.