‘I’ve never been on student council or any of that stuff,? admits Chris Steimel, who said he was shocked to learn of his nomination to the National Youth Leadership Forum on Defense, Intelligence & Diplomacy.
Steimel, a Lake Orion High School senior, is currently attending the week-long Forum in Washington D.C., which ends Feb. 5
He is taking part in a national security strategy exercise focusing on hypothetical events taking place in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea region.
‘We are all assigned roles and have to formulate some kind of strategy,? Steimel said.
‘It’s going to be really cool because everyone will have their own agendas,? he said.
Although Steimel wasn’t sure what his particular role would be at the forum, he was looking forward to meeting new people and sharing ideas.
‘I’m going to get to work with a lot of different people,? he noted.
The program became aware of Steimel from a voluntary pre-college classroom survey he filled out for an independent research firm.
Many other LOHS students have attended the forum, but Steimel is the first to attend the defense and intelligence based-forum.
The effort to send Steimel to D.C. took the help of many area sponsors, including the Lake Orion Lions Club, the Knights of Columbus, the Palace Chrysler Dealership, and Oakland County Commissioner Eric Wilson.
‘We’re very proud of him,? said mom Julia Steimel, who helped foot the over $1,500 cost for the program.
Steimel has also participated in local community service programs such as Generations of Promise, and is currently taking two Advanced Placement courses.
He is also a lead programmer on the FIRST Robotics team at LOHS.
The team is headed to the national competition in Atlanta at the end of April.
‘We are really looking forward to that,? he said.
Steimel will be attending Michigan Tech next fall.
He is also planning on enrolling in the Army Reserve Officers? Training Corps, and sees that as a tie-in to what he is currently doing in D.C.
Steimel; whose mother is an Orion Township records clerk, and whose father is Orion Township Trustee John Steimel; has always had some interest in politics, but never acted on it.
‘This kind of pushed me over the edge,? he said of the nomination.
Steimel would like to someday work for a major computer company, but sees more on the horizon.
‘I’d also like to get involved with local politics,? he said.