Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is known for holding a town hall meeting in each county in the state every year. As of January, the senator had held over 750 town hall meetings, hearing from his constituents on the issues they care about. On January 7th, Springdale Job Corps Center Pharmacy Technology students attended the town hall meeting for Multnomah County, where Springdale is located. The Springdale students, Kaylynn Green and Daniel Shevyakov, were joined by members of the public, local high school and middle school students, and the family members of a Corbett High School graduate who died in action in Afghanistan.

Senator Wyden answered a variety of questions; including ones about the environment, education, the current protest in eastern Oregon, and gun control. Daniel and Kaylynn were interested in what the senator had to say. After the meeting, the students were able to have their photo snapped with the senator.

“I was glad to hear the other students asked about some of the things I was curious about,” said Kaylynn. “This was a really cool opportunity.”

Daniel also enjoyed attending and felt he got a lot out of it. “I don’t know a lot about what the current things being debated are,” he said. “But hearing the senator speak, now I want to learn more about those things and find out what’s going on.”

“It’s important for the students to know how current events affect their future,” said Center Director Naomi Ulsted. “That’s why I wanted to have students attend this meeting. They don’t often know they have a say in the way our government and nation are shaped and I think this gives them an up-close opportunity to see that.