A group of HHCA Upper School students recently traveled to Columbia to take part in the annual South Carolina Youth in Government (YIG) Conference, an immersive experience that allows students to step into the roles of state leaders, legislators, attorneys, and journalists.

Throughout the week, students collaborated with peers from across South Carolina to debate real issues and propose original legislation.

Senior Luke Williams lobbied several bills and fulfilled his elected duties as Superintendent of Education during the conference. Senior Will Adams served on the Media Team, where his video edits were featured on YIG’s official social media channels.

Two HHCA teams authored and presented bills:

• Elianna Muthersbaugh, Kate Vento, and Hadley Kinzie introduced a bill to limit homework hours for students.

• Sebastian Rattia and Fischer Hubbard proposed a bill to incentivize academic performance statewide.

While not all bills could advance to a full vote due to time constraints, HHCA students were fully engaged—spending long days in chamber meetings, lobbying, debating, and learning firsthand how government functions.

All participants said they had an awesome time. It’s inspiring to see them represent HHCA with confidence, curiosity, and a heart for leadership.

- YIG Advisor, Mr. Matt Lingafelt