Haley was our intern in 2019 where she there a day-a-week for the entire Legislative Session.

Submitted by Haley Collins, a Tennessee Student Eagle who had attended Eagle Council 49 in St. Louis recently: 

As a Student Eagle, I am very grateful and honored for the opportunity to have attended Eagle Forum's 49th annual leadership and training conference. My time there was very informative, and I was reminded of the significance and depth of the problems our nation is facing. Although all of the speakers were enlightening, there were definitely a few that impacted me more than others. Those speakers include but are not limited to, Lily Tang Williams and Morgan Zegers. 

First and foremost, Lily Tang William's speech was very compelling. She was born right before the start of China's Cultural Revolution and grew up in Chengdu, capital of the Sichuan province, in western China. She spoke of the horrors and hardships of living in Communist China. She was brainwashed in public school every day and was required to conform and not stand out as an individual. In 1995, she became a U.S. citizen and could finally speak freely and have her rights protected, which is something we often take for granted. By telling her story, she shared the message that big governments do not work; big governments are very dangerous because they always use force. Our country is going down the wrong path, and Mrs. Williams left me feeling very motivated to do something about it. 

Furthermore, I enjoyed "Upstate New York's Phyllis Schlafly" and founder of Young Americans Against Socialism, Morgan Zegers', speech. She explained that our generation has good intentions, but they are being manipulated by the real enemies in this fight, far-Left leaders like Bernie Sanders. To fight back, Miss Zegers said, "We need to add emotion to the playbook using first-hand stories of survivors of socialism. Provide realistic solutions to our generation's top issues: environment, healthcare, student loans." After her speech, she gave the Student Eagles a really, good piece of advice: Never be silent. Always take a stand. 

In conclusion, Eagle Council XLIX was an unparalleled learning experience. As Sarah Huckabee Sanders, one of the Eagle Council XLIX keynote speakers wrote in the Yad V'shem guestbook when she was 11-years-old, "Why didn't somebody do something?" Today, there are several, significant issues that our nation faces. With all that I have learned about these problems at Eagle Council, I plan on educating other people and taking action. I will be a person who does something!