PHOENIX (AZFamily) — From the moment the students boarded their morning buses, they were challenged to think about political values like liberty, equality, and justice.

Thursday was the third day of an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC for 275 Arizona high school students.

At the Jefferson Memorial, they explored the complexities of a Founding Father who enslaved people.

Shirley Thoreson from Maryvale High School said it’s important to learn the nuances of key historical figures. “We need to acknowledge the truth so we can move forward and learn from the past.”

Learning from the past is one of the major goals of the four-day trip.

The students arrived Tuesday on the Arizona Cardinals team plane. Team owner Michael Bidwill launched the annual civics trip three years ago, selecting students from Title I schools in a statewide essay contest.

For some students, it’s their first time on an airplane. Alexis Delgado marveled at the lush trees in the D.C. area. 

“It’s been like a dream, to be honest, because I’ve never experienced something so beautiful, coming from a dry place,” said the incoming PXU City High School senior.

All week, instructors with the Close Up Foundation have encouraged students to find their voice. Sixteen-year-old Janelle Harris found hers.

“It was really scary, to be honest. I was really nervous,” she said.

On Wednesday, the 16-year-old walked straight up to U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly and asked him a tricky question about why he maintains support for Israel despite the suffering in Gaza.

“Seeing as he was an astronaut, I feel like it’s an astronaut’s duty to fight for the progression of humanity, not just Americans,” she said. 

She said this week’s lesson plan helped. “I definitely did use what we talked about in the deliberating process and just tried to get my point across as best I could in the small portion of time I had to talk to him.”

The senator was impressed. “It’s good to see that they’re interested in something,” Kelly said.

Janelle knows she didn’t convince Sen. Kelly to change his views, but she found it powerful to express her political values.

“I thought it was a very interesting experience, and I’m very lucky to have had it,” she said.

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