Mountain Brook High School senior takes part in Girls Nation in Washington, D.C.

Bickley Bowron — a senior at Mountain Brook High School — took part in the Girls State program at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in June and was also selected to take part in Girls Nation in Washington, D.C., in July, according to an announcement by the Bowron family.

Girls State and Girls Nation are annual civic training programs hosted by the American Legion Auxiliary at no cost to participants.

At Girls Nation, Bowron was elected by her peers to serve at president pro tem of the Senate.

She helped move bills to the Senate floor for debate and kept legislative business moving smoothly.

Taking part in Girls Nation “was so much fun,” Bowron told Village Living. “It was great meeting people from all 50 states.”

There was only one disappointment.

“Traditionally Girls Nation goes to the White House and meets the president, but we were unable to do this because of COVID,” Bowron said.

Her journey to the nation’s capital began when she and fellow MBHS senior Jane Gray Battle were selected to attend Girls State in Tuscaloosa.

At Girls State, students assume the roles of government leaders, campaigning as “Federalists” and “Nationalists” to become city, county and state officials.

Bowron was elected president pro tem of the State Senate.

Bowron’s peers also selected her to be interviewed by staff to be a senator at Girls Nation.

She and Graci Doster of Enterprise were chosen to represent Alabama.

Of the 20,000 young women who take part in Girls State annually, only 100 are chosen to go to D.C., said Bowron’s mother, Molly Bowron.

A member of the National Honor Society, Bowron also served as assistant attorney general at the Youth Legislature program in Montgomery last year.

She is a member of New Gen Peacebuilders and the Youth Action Council at YouthServe and participates in YMCA’s Youth in Government.