A Girl Named Hillary

A Girl Named Alena

There are a lot of young girls helping to make positive changes in our world today, just like Hillary Clinton did. Alena Mulhern is one of those girls.

My mom always told me that when I grow up, I could be whatever I wanted. When I was seven, I told her I wanted to be president of the United States one day. That’s when she gave me the bad news. Only people born in the United States can be president. I’m American, but I was born in China. My parents adopted me when I was a baby.

I was disappointed that an unfair law would keep me from my dream. Then I thought, Hey wait! This is America. We all have the right to use our voice and try to change things we believe are unfair.

I learned how our government works and how laws are created or changed. Then I asked all my classmates and teachers to sign a petition saying they believed in my cause.

I shared the petition (I got 120 signatures!) with lawmakers in my state, asking them to support my cause, too. The Massachusetts State House filed a resolution on my behalf and asked me to testify in person. To prepare, I typed what I wanted to say. I practiced over and over again in front of my family. On the day of my speech, I brought notes with me. I felt prepared. I’m still waiting to hear whether the resolution passes. If it does, it will go to Congress for consideration. If the resolution doesn’t pass, you can bet I’ll keep trying.