Rosie’s Blog

Rosie’s Platform: Climate Change in our Community

Capitol Invite, Meeting Senator & Capitol Tour June 26, 2025

Hi, my name is Saanvi and I am a cabinet member for the 2025 Oregon kid governor program. I’m very excited to write my fourth blog about how I got to meet a senator.

I recently got an invitation from Senator Janeen Sollman to visit the Capitol. We drove to Salem with a lot of morning traffic but made it just in time. When we got to the Capital there was a speech happening right in front, so we had to sneak around but managed to get inside. Once inside, we had to go through the security and after that through these “gold” elevators to the second floor. We went to Senator Sollman’s office, but she wasn’t there yet. Instead, I noticed someone familiar, and it happened to be one of the HSD school board members. After chatting a bit, we saw Senator Sollman. We went into her office, and I gave her a painting that I made as a gift. Then we sat and I talked about my platform, 3-point plan, and what I did in the past 5 months. She seemed very enthusiastic about my platform and gave me a lot of ideas.Senator Janeen Sollman and Saanvi stand in the Senators office. Senator Sollman holds a colorful painting Saanvi gifted to her.

After the meeting with Senator Sollman, we got a tour of the capital by the HSD board member. We got to see a hearing room where people can testify for a law to be passed. As we were walking, we ran into Representative Susan McLain. Then we were escorted to the Senate Chamber since Senator Sollman gave me courtesy. It was super exciting, as I got to sit right next to Senator Sollman. In the courtesy, Senator Sollman introduced me and then shared my platform, 3-point plan, and my work over the last 5 months. At the end of the courtesy tour, meeting Senator Sollman and Representative McLain, I don’t think I could be happier!Saanvi sitting next to Senator Sollman in the Senate Chamber room.

International Yoga Day!!!! June 13, 2025

Happy Summer break Everyone!!! My name is Syon Bhendigeri and I am part of this year’s Awesome Oregon Kids Governor Cabinet Team. We all from this team have been busy finishing up elementary school and super excited & energized to embrace the middle school journey soon. We also have met a couple of times together and talked about what we have been doing.

My platform is “Preventing Mental Illness” in kids and community. My 3 point plan is LOVE where

  • L stands for “Listen to kids and the community who are going through such difficult situations or see someone go through”
  • O stands for “Organize creative but innovative after school events like Art sessions, tree planting, etc.”
  • V+E stands for “Volunteer To Execute – I would like to request my fellow friends to volunteer so we can execute these plans and help prevent this issue.”

You all must have heard about YOGA. Have you tried doing yoga? Have you ever wondered how Yoga helps many of us humans? The name YOGA comes from Indian Origin which means “To join or to unite”. This symbolizes the union of Body and Consciousness. Yoga is basically composed of variations of stretches and breathing exercises. Yoga is one way to prevent mental illness, anxiety, and stress. It can be a valuable tool in preventing and managing mental illness by promoting relaxation, reducing stress hormones, and increasing “feel-good” chemicals. It can also improve cognitive function and overall well-being through breathing exercises, meditation, and physical postures. Yoga helps us in flexibility, strength, balancing, reducing stress, enhanced sleep and the list goes on and on.

Current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced “International Yoga Day” to be celebrated on June 21st. It is celebrated only on June 21st as its summer solstice. As part of this year’s celebrations, Consulate General of India(CGI) Seattle is partnering with local volunteering groups to lead for the first time to organize “International Yoga Day” on June 21st 2025 in 9 states and 16 cities. The BEST part about this event is that this event is “FREE” and being organized for all ages. In Oregon, this event will be held in 2 places – Hillsboro and Corvallis.

This is a great opportunity where I could use my 3-point plan which is VE( volunteering to execute). As yoga helps kids and adults reduce stress and anxiety. I’m working along with a few local non-profit groups to raise awareness and drive around my platform. I encourage and urge each one of you to take advantage of this upcoming event. Bring yourself and your loved ones as this will not only help you but it will also help people around you.

I hope you support this cause, event and join this amazing FREE event. Just bring your smile, your friends and family. Please don’t forget a yoga mat and to wear something comfy!!! Hope you can share this event details to your friends and family — the more, the merrier!!!

Register below and come have fun with us!!! Let’s bend, stretch, breathe, and build a strong community together!!!

Flyer for International Day of Yoga in Hillsboro, Oregon. Has 3 characters doing yoga poses.

Register Here

Meeting with School Superintendent & Organizing a Supply Drive – Cabinet Member Guest Blog: Saanvi June 9, 2025

Hi, my name is Saanvi and I am a cabinet member for the 2025 Oregon kid governor program. I’m very excited to write my third blog and updates about my work.

After presenting my platform and 3C plan to Hillsboro School District (HSD) Board, I met in person with the HSD superintendent. At the meeting I talked about how I wanted to grow my platform about reducing homelessness. I shared a few different ideas to execute my 3C plan, but he really liked my idea of hosting a supply drive at my school and encouraged organizing the drive.Saanvi shakes hands with Superintendent in from of the Patterson Great Wall.

Saanvi and a teacher stand in front of shelves with supplies and show a sign they made for the Supply Drive.Once I finalized my idea, I started planning for the drive at school. I created a flyer that said the things that HomePlate (the homeless shelter that I support via my platform) needed like, toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo, floss, toothpaste. I created a flyer and shared it at my school assembly. I gave a brief speech at my assembly saying who I am, my platform, the drive, the supplies needed, and how long the drive was. I involved 5th graders to help hang up posters around the school. Initially, I wasn’t getting many supplies in the time period so I extended it for 2 more weeks and got a lot more supplies. After the supply drive was over, I counted all the supplies up with the help of my peers. I ended up collecting over 500 items!Three students work on creating flyers at a table with Saanvi.

I donated all the supplies to HomePlate and they seemed very happy.

It was a very satisfying experience and I am very thankful to my school community, my principal and my grade teacher and my class to help with this drive.

Cabinet Member Guest Blog: Ryker June 3, 2025

Hello everyone,

A person dressed in a rabbit outfit stands in front of donation barrels at the school.As some of you may be aware, my name is Ryker Yun, and I am a proud member of the 2025 Oregon Kid Governor Cabinet. I am pleased to present my second blog post, where I will share an update on my platform of assisting families in poverty. Recently, I have been actively involved in several initiatives that align with my platform. One notable event was a donation drive that was also a school competition that I organized in collaboration with the Beaverton Resource Center. Together, we successfully raised 4000 donations of various toiletries and travel sized personal hygiene items.

Another significant event was the pancake breakfast at my school held in conjunction with the Secretary of State Tobias Read. This event was where we got some of the donations. I am grateful for Secretary Read’s attendance and support.

Ryker cooking breakfast in the kitchen with Secretary Read. Ryker shaking hands with Secretary Read.

Ryker stands with Secretary Read in one of the classrooms at school. Ryker stands with brother and father next to a box of donations collected for families.

Both of these events were integral to my platform and will leave a lasting impact on me. I am committed to continuing to engage in such initiatives in the future. I also have partnered with the pantry at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Portland. Upon reaching out to the pantry, I discovered that the guests frequently requested granola bars, but the pantry lacked sufficient supply. To address this issue, we contacted Safeway and inquired about the possibility of donating a few boxes of granola bars. Safeway graciously agreed to provide the donation. We subsequently held a meeting with Mr. Rick Edmunds, the store manager, to get the granola bars. Mr. Edmunds was very kind to help get the granola bars.

Riker with the Safeway manager collection granola bars.

Eight people outside the West Building with many boxes of donated supplies.On May 31st, my family volunteered in Trinity’s pantry and helped feed those in need. Almost everybody wanted to have a bar in their meal. They were a big hit! That is what has been going on with my platform. I hope to do more soon! Until then, stay cool and have a great summer!

Cabinet Member Guest Blog: Desmond May 29, 2025

Hello, my name is Desmond Bennett and I am one of the Oregon Kid Governor Cabinet Members for 2025. I really enjoyed the inauguration at the state capitol back in January and have continued to push my platform since then. My platform is to end bullying with my plan to S.A.C. bullying.

  • The S stands for stand together. There is power in numbers and if we all stand together bullies won’t have the power to bully others.
  • The A stands for awareness of culture. As we become aware of others cultures we won’t hurt them without knowing it.
  • The C stands for common object bullying. It’s important to care for our toys and resources because it isn’t just humans that can be bullied.

It’s important for us to not only take care of those around us but also the stuff around us. I continue to stand up for those who are being bullied. In my school, I have helped my principal make skits about how to include and not bully others. I will continue to be an advocate for others and because of my platform I have had others come and ask me if they can be my friend. I will continue to be a safe place for others and I hope you will too.

I encourage everyone to stand up for others when they see someone treating them poorly or see someone getting bullied. If you see something say something. Be an up-stander not a bystander. Help me end bullying by standing up for others and in the end you might have a life long friend. Be kind to everyone because you never know what others are going through.Desmond stands in front of a podium at the Capitol. A bouquet of flowers is on a table to his right. He's making the peace sign with his right hand and smiling.

Thank you for your support and for reading my post, and don’t forget to be kind. —Desmond

Cabinet Member Guest Blog: Saanvi May 6, 2025

Community Speeches

Hi, my name is Saanvi and I am a cabinet member for the 2025 Oregon kid governor program. It has been a while since I have posted, but I’m very excited to write my second blog.

I have been busy creating awareness about my platform. I also attended the Kid Governor Summit and it was fun to meet a lot of people from other states.

I was invited to talk about my platform at the HSD (Hillsboro School District) school board meeting. We waited in the lobby for the event to start. It was a big room with a long table with all board members sitting. There were 2 big projectors and a podium on the side. There was an audience on one side and school staff in front of the podium. The meeting was also being recorded and broadcasted on projectors.

Once everyone settled, one of the board members shared the agenda and we all stood for the pledge of allegiance. I was first on the agenda & before I started, they checked if I was able to reach the mic, but I was a few inches short, so they got me a step stool to reach the mic.

Then one of the board members introduced me and why I was at the event. I shared my platform, 3 -point plan and what support I needed from the HSD team to work on my plan. After the speech, everyone applauded and said I did a very good job. Then they asked me to come up for a picture with the board members. I felt a bit nervous initially since I had to address all these adults but then as I started speaking, I felt more confident as everyone was paying attention.

My next speech was at the YAC (Youth Advisory Council). I was invited to share my platform and plan with the highschoolers. The meeting was held at the police station. Once we got there someone escorted me to the meeting room. Also in the room there was a table with a lot of snacks and candies, it was very tempting to get all of it but I didn’t want to get a sugar high.

After we got settled in, one member shared the schedule. I addressed the audience and surprisingly it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I was asked some questions about my platform. I also stayed to listen to the other YAC members about their work. The main one was talking about school lunches which was actually interesting.Saanvi stands with 8 board members

Cabinet Member Guest Blog: Jordyn May 6, 2025

My name is Jordyn Mouton and I ran for 2025 Oregon Kid Governor, and I am now a member of Kid Governor, Rosie’s cabinet. I ran with a platform on Racism and Discrimination with my 3 point plan RPS.

  • “R” stands for “RAISE awareness for racism and discrimination”.
  • “P” stands for “PREVENT racism and discrimination”.
  • “S” stands for “STAND up for others when you see someone make a racist/discriminative remark against someone else”.

I started my Kid Governor journey close to the beginning of the school year. My teacher had informed the entire class about how our school was participating in the Kid Governor elections for the first year ever, along with all the details about it. I was super interested in the opportunity and immediately knew what my platform would be on as I have a strong passion for equality. My school first ran elections in each 5th grade classroom, each candidate had about a week to write our speech. I won my class election and advanced into elections for the entire 5th grade where I had to present my speech in front of all of 5th grade. I went up against 3 other kids from 3 other classes beside mine. It was a super tense time because everyone wanted to win and go up against other kids around the state, but we also were very supportive of each other. I was in my class when my name was announced over the intercom that I had won the election for my school; my class and I screamed of joy. After that, I asked a few of my friends to help me write big signs for me to read for my video to submit for my official candidacy.

Students hold signs behind the camera for Jordyn to read during her video recording.
Students hold signs behind the camera for Jordyn to read during her video recording.

When I heard the exciting news that I was elected onto the Kid Governor Cabinet, I was in Texas visiting my cousins and Ms. Nikki called my mom to tell her the exciting news. My mom and I were super excited and I could not wait for my cousins to get home from school so we could tell them the news.

One of my favorite parts of being a part of the Kid Governor program has been the Inauguration. The Inauguration was so exciting, but also nerve wrecking. I was excited to see Rosie and my fellow cabinet members in person and to be sworn in, but also nervous because there was a lot of people that I had to speak in front of. That experience I will never forget and I am so happy my family was there with me and my schoolmates got to live stream the event.

Jordyn stands in front of the sign in the capitol for the 2025 Oregon Kid Governor Inauguration.

Since I have gotten sworn in, I have put up posters all around my school of different hero’s and legends of colored history. Examples of people are, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges. Another thing I have been working on is getting with multiple kids from my school too put on a short film about a girl getting discriminated against by a group of kids and the story of understanding and resolution. I plan to be able to have an assembly or some sort of talk with other kids from my school about what racism or discrimination means to them and how they can prevent it.

If you would like to support my platform, you can stand up if you see somebody experiencing discrimination and educate the discriminator.

Jordyn stands outside the capitol on the steps.

Cabinet Member Guest Blog: Ryker May 5, 2025

Hello everyone. My name is Ryker Yun and I am honored to be a member of the Oregon Kid Governor 2025 cabinet. My platform is helping families in poverty. I chose this issue because whenever I saw someone, especially a child, without food to eat and a roof to sleep under, I felt sad and wished that there was some way to be able to help them. I believe that children should have access to resources to help them have a brighter future.

My three-point-plan to help families in poverty is SFV. The “S” in SFV means Send Support. To do this, we will set up donation banks at schools. The items in these donation banks will be made into care bags which will be sent out to places that can disperse them. The “F” stands for fundraise. I plan to host fundraisers to buy items for the donation bags or donate it to nonprofit organizations. Finally, the “V” stands for volunteering at organizations like Meals on Wheels or food pantries.

Right now, my school, Bonny Slope Elementary SZO will be hosting a donation drive all throughout May but specifically at our pancake breakfast event which will be on May 17th from 7:30 to 10:30 AM. We are partnering with the Beaverton Resource Center to host this drive. We will have donation bins by the office in the front. We are encouraging the community to bring sealed personal hygiene items as donations.

Some things you could do to support my plan are: Donate to Nonprofits and shelters, spread the word, and volunteer your time at places like food pantries and shelters. I have volunteered many hours in Downtown Portland and enjoy helping those in need. I am looking forward to welcoming many special guests to our pancake breakfast event. Thank you for reading this blog! Until next time, Ryker Yun.

Former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court Paul De Muniz and Secretary Tobias Read stand with Ryker in the state capitol.
How I Came To Know The Hillsboro Hops April 30, 2025

On Saturday I was able to throw the ceremonial first pitch for the Hillsboro Hops! Earlier in the week I was preparing for the Hops game so I practiced pitching over 100 times. Before this week I knew nothing about baseball, but now I know about grand slams, home runs, stealing bases, how to pitch, what a strike is, the difference between an infielder and a outfielder, and what an umpire actually does. Overall I had an amazing time. I think my pitch went great, and got to learn about baseball.

Rosie stands on a baseball field next to a person dressed as the mascot for Hillsboro Hops.

Rosie stands on the pitchers mound in a baseball field getting ready to throw the first pitch.

Tryon Creek April 21, 2025

Since my inauguration in January I have gotten to do so much! Like participating in the Kid Governor Summit, Testify in Salem, Interview Rep Helm, and help organize a Town Hall. Today I get to add “help organize a field trip to Tryon Creek” to my ever growing list. Because Earth day is tomorrow, I had the idea of having a field trip to Tryon Creek to learn more about nature. This thought was able to come true today! The whole fifth grade was able to rotate through different stations to learn about macroinvertebrates, or different types of edible plants at Tryon Creek. I am so grateful to be able to learn about nature, and about our Earth! Here are some pictures of our adventure!

Rosie stands in front of a wall in the Tryon Creek Nature Center. THere are photos of owls on the wall. An adult shows a group of students a chart as they stand outside on a trail in Tryon Creek. An adult surrounded by a group of students on a trail in Tryon Creek. The adult holds a plant from the area. Students gather on a trail in Tryon Creek park to learn about plants.

Happy Spring April 15, 2025

Spring is in full bloom! The sun is shining (thank goodness), flowers are blooming, and allergy season has started. 🙁 Speaking of flowers blooming … It is a perfect time for making flower bouquets! Today as I was walking my dog, there were some flowers in the grass. I was able to make a mini flower bouquet! This is another perfect way to celebrate Earth Month, because flowers are everywhere! So, let’s enjoy this beautiful spring while we have it! Here is a photo of my flower bouquet:Spring flowers in a small vase on a wooden table.

Testifying in Salem April 9, 2025

Earlier in the year, I talked about testifying and shared a testimony. Although I sadly was unable to testify on House Bill 3018 in person, I had testimony here, but I was able to testify on House Bill 3014. The bill will establish the school district facility fund. This fund would give money to schools in rural or lower income areas, which could help them to be able to update their schools, and make them more climate resilient. Here is my testimony.

View of Rosie Lanenga from the back sitting at a desk before the Legislature preparing to testify.
View of Rosie Lanenga from the right sitting at a desk before the Legislature preparing to testify.

Ways to Celebrate Our Earth March 31, 2025

April is Earth Month! From March 22 to April 22 (Earth Day), we celebrate our planet and find ways to give back to nature. Here are five ways to honor and celebrate the Earth this month:

  1. Compost
    Composting is an easy way to help reduce the waste we send to landfills. When we throw away food scraps, they break down in landfills and release methane gases into the air, which contribute to climate change. By composting at home, we can turn those scraps into nutrient-rich soil for our gardens, reducing waste and helping our planet at the same time. It’s a small change that can make a big difference for our Earth.
  2. Plant a Tree
    Trees are vital for our planet. They absorb carbon dioxide, which helps fight climate change. Plus, they provide oxygen for us to breathe and offer homes for many animals. If you’re in the Portland area, you can even get a free tree to plant in your yard! Trees are beautiful, and planting one is a great way to make a positive impact on the environment.
  3. Join the Oregon Treasure Quest
    Have you ever explored some of Oregon’s most famous landmarks? Senator Merkley’s Oregon Treasure Quest encourages people to discover amazing places around the state. By visiting at least 10 different counties from January to November 2025, you can participate in the challenge. Some famous spots include Multnomah Falls and Timberline. The best part? You’ll get to take selfies at these cool locations, and if you qualify, you might even win an invite to a special celebration party! For more details, check out the Oregon Treasure Quest website.
  4. Clean Up Trash In Your Community
    You can help make our parks and neighborhoods in Oregon more beautiful by picking up trash, and respecting our Earth by not littering. Plus, you’ll be helping to keep local animals safe, as litter can sometimes harm wildlife.
  5. Get Out In The Garden
    Gardening is a productive way to make a positive impact on the Earth. By pulling out invasive species, planting flowers, or making a vegetable garden you are helping improve Oregon for the better. You can help make our plants thrive.
    By taking part in these activities, you’re helping to protect and celebrate our amazing planet. Earth Month is a great time to get started, but remember—every month is Earth Month when we do our part to care for the world we live in!
Interview with Representative Ken Helm March 29, 2025

Speaking of town hall’s… a while ago I was able to go and see one in person. On the panel there was Rep. Helm, Senator Lieber, Rep. Grayber and the mayor of Beaverton. During the town hall I saw how passionate Rep. Helm was on climate change. So I interviewed him on climate change and what it’s like to be a representative. I had a great time! I hope you learn a little more on climate change in Oregon!

Kid Governor Summit March 27, 2025

One of the things I’ve been doing lately was going to the Kid Governor summit! The Kid Governor summit is where all the kid governors and their cabinet members across the country get together. But before all the cabinet members came, all the kid governors had a meeting to get to know each other. It was me, the kid governor from Oklahoma and New Hampshire, but the kid governor from Connecticut could not come. The kid governor from NH (New Hampshire) had a platform to stop animal testing. The kid governor from OK (Oklahoma) ran on the platform of addressing educational issues. Although I sadly was unable to meet the kid governor from CT (Connecticut) his platform was making schools safer and happier for kids. They were so nice and had such important issues they wanted to address. I had fun getting to know them. After our get together all the cabinet members from CT, NH, OK and all of my wonderful partners from OR came and joined us. Then, we had guest speakers talk about teamwork. Before the guest speakers came we were separated into groups, to talk about our platforms.

After the guest speakers came we were separated into the same groups and discussed what guest speakers had talked about. I had a great time getting to know them all!

2025 Kid Governor Summit Attendees

Town Hall March 25, 2025

Happy spring everyone! I’ve been doing a lot lately, so I’ll fill you in. On March 7, I had a town hall at my school, with Rep. Daniel Nguyễn​, Senate President Wagner, and my school’s student board member Sy Jones.

The gym at Riverdale school is filled with students, teachers, and 2 legislators from Oregon.

Those of you who have never been to a town hall, it works like this. Representatives and Senators, answer questions from community members about issues important to them, or about their community. The town hall at my school was a little different. It was hosted in our grade school’s gym, where fifth through eighth grade classes came. Kids who wanted to ask questions to us would come up to a microphone and ask one of us their question.Rosie sits in a chair on stage. She holds a microphone she is speaking into.

At first I was worried that I would jumble up my words, or say the wrong thing, but eventually I was able to block out my fear and speak from the heart. After that, I had an amazing time answering questions. But I think my favorite part of the day… was actually before the town hall. I was pulled out of math (yay!) and went downstairs to meet Rep. Daniel Nguyễn​, and Sy Jones to give them a tour of our school! Senate President Wagner was sadly unable to make it for the tour, but was still there for the town hall.

Rosie gives a classroom tour to Representative Daniel Nguyễn​
We weaved around the school building going from first grade classrooms to seventh grade classrooms. I had a wonderful time showing them around, and was proud to be able to spread my knowledge of climate change further!

If you wanted to do a town hall at your school, here is a potential schedule to help with planning.

Sample 1 Hour Tour/Assembly Schedule:

  • 15 Minute Tour: Tour led by students and principal.
    • Tour ends at the assembly location for an approximately 45 minute assembly
      • (~5min) Opening act, student performance showcase!
      • (~10min) The Principal will open the town hall/assembly once panelists are on stage and have everyone introduce themselves. Suggested panel includes house and senate representation and student leadership.
      • (~25min) Questions to panel from moderator
        • Broad civics-related questions & legislative-focused questions.
          • Before the assembly students prepared questions in class with their teachers. Questions were collected on notecards. When called, a student comes up to the microphone and asks the question from the notecard.
        • Lighter questions (favorite type of pizza, what did you want to be when you grow up etc.) just for fun.
      • (~5min) Moderator turns over to panel for closing thoughts and/or a closing act, student performance showcase!
    • Event ends
Composting Bill HB 3018 March 1, 2025

What Matters To You?

Whatever it is you can speak up about it! Whether it’s protecting the environment, supporting your community, or standing up for something you believe in, your voice is powerful. In this blog post, I want to share the testimony I wrote to support a bill about composting. Composting helps the planet by turning food scraps into healthy soil, and it’s something I believe is really important. I hope that reading this inspires you to speak up about issues you care about, because I know that speaking up about what you believe in can make a big difference.

Testimony in Support of HB 3018 – Food Waste Disposal and Composting Policies

Chair and Members of the Committee,

My name is Rosie Lanenga, and I am Oregon’s 2025 Kid Governor. I want to express my support for HB 3018, a bill aimed at reducing food waste and promoting composting.

As someone who cares deeply about the environment, I believe this bill will help us protect our planet and our future. Right now, too much food gets thrown away, even when it could still be useful. Food waste ends up in landfills where it produces harmful gases that contribute to climate change. This bill would make sure that large food businesses compost their waste instead of throwing it away, which is better for the Earth.

One of the things I really like about this bill is that it encourages businesses to separate food waste and send it to places that can turn it into compost. Composting is really important because it helps create healthy soil for growing more plants and food. If we can turn food scraps into something useful, we can help reduce pollution and make our communities greener.

I also like how the bill will teach businesses about composting. The Department of Environmental Quality will help them set up systems to properly separate food waste, which makes it easier for everyone. This is important because, if people know how to do something right, they are more likely to do it.

I understand that there are concerns about the capacity to handle food waste as well as its definition. I think it’s important to recognize that while composting isn’t as simple as just throwing food away, it’s still the right choice for our environment, and we can work together to find solutions.

I believe any challenges can be addressed through careful planning and investment. We can look for creative solutions! With cooperation between the state, composting companies, and communities, I believe we can make sure that this bill’s requirements will be manageable and successful.

In my school, we try to reduce food waste by recycling and composting. I’ve learned that even small changes, like composting food scraps instead of throwing them in the trash, can make a big difference. If more businesses and people follow these steps, we could have a huge positive impact on the environment.

I encourage you to help our state move toward a cleaner and greener future. I hope that the challenges raised by the opposition will be worked out, and I trust that together we can find solutions to make food waste composting easier for everyone.

Sincerely,
Rosie Lanenga, Oregon’s 2025 Kid Governor

Cabinet Member Guest Blog: Saanvi February 12, 2025

Inauguration Ceremony

Hi everyone! My name is Saanvi and I am a cabinet member for the 2025 Oregon Kid Governor program. I’m very excited to write my first blog and share my experience of the inauguration ceremony.

I woke up at 6:30 am, and rushed downstairs for breakfast. My mom gave me 3 pancakes – 1 big, 1 medium and 1 very very small , which I enjoyed with lots of maple syrup. After breakfast, I got ready. I wore a black dress with a pink blazer and really bothersome tights. Once I got ready, we all hopped in the car, to go to Salem.

Once we reached Salem, we parked and walked 2 blocks to the capitol building. We had to go through the security and after that through these “gold” elevators to the second floor. Then we went to the Senate Chambers where the event was being held. We were a little early and since my mom loves taking pictures, she started taking pics which got annoying for me (lol!). The room was dark brown with a wooden interior and lots of chairs and a podium right in the front. The podium had the US and Oregon flag and a screen. There was a big picture in the background saying “Oregon admitted into the union Feb 14th 1859.”

As I was sitting, one of the officials came and asked me if I was the 2024 kid governor? I felt like I should have said “yes” but I said “no” and then introduced myself.

I met Nikki Fisher in person and she gave me an envelope from the Oregon Governor. The envelope had the “Commemorative reprint and transcription of the original 1857 Oregon state constitution.” It had a printed version on the left hand side and the original cursive copy on the right hand pages. The other highlight was a letter signed by the Governor. I am very excited to be able to have such rare souvenirs.

As the event started, we had Secretary of State,(SoS) Tobias Read welcoming us. After that, the 2024 kid governor gave the pledge of allegiance, then the former Chief Justice invited all the cabinet members to come upfront and go to the podium. There I shared my 3-point plan about my platform of “Reducing Homelessness and providing basic amenities to those unhoused” Then the former Chief Justice gave cabinet members the “Oath of Office” and at the end said, “I do.” Then the 2025 kid governor gave her speech followed by closing remarks from SoS. After the event, I took pics with SoS and the former Chief Justice.

There were Oregon shaped cookies so I decided to take and share them with my teacher and principal.

There was a local reporter who was invited to interview all the kids. We were not given any list of questions to prepare for the interview. She asked me about my platform and how it started, what I do and who helped me. At the end, she asked my mom to join for the interview and share how as a parent she felt about the program. I was very happy to have an opportunity to interview with my mom.

It was a long but very memorable and fun day and I can’t wait to start working on my 3-point plan and collaborate with all during my term!
Saanvi stands behind the podium at the Capitol. There is a mural behind of people from 1859 when Oregon was admitted to the union.

Hi, everyone! I’m Rosie, Oregon’s new Kid Governor! February 10, 2025

Hi, everyone! I’m Rosie, Oregon’s new Kid Governor! I am happy to have the opportunity to serve you. I am excited for our year ahead together!

I thought I’d start off the year with posting about my inauguration. I remember being excited and nervous at the same time! I made a list the night before of all the things I needed to do to prepare for my big day. When the morning came, I was hasty to complete my list (eat breakfast, practice speech…) and was ready for the long, one hour drive to Salem.

Before my inauguration however, my family and I were invited to have a tour of the archives. The exhibitions and documents were all so wonderful and interesting to see.Rosie views an exhibit of photographs at the Oregon State Archives.

After, my family and I headed to the capital for my swearing in. When we arrived in the Senate chamber, I was impressed at its beauty. From the deep brown of the wood to all of the flowers! Shortly after we took our seats, I was given a packet from the Governor. It contained Oregon Travel Magazines, a map of Oregon, her FAMILY CASSEROLE RECIPE, and much more!:) As the program proceeded I was able to hear from Secretary of State Tobias Reed, our outgoing Kid Governor Shah, and from my amazing cabinet members that I am lucky enough to get to work with this year!

Then, it was time to deliver my speech! I remember being so proud to be able to help lead our stunning state, and try to protect it from Climate Change. After the reception I had my first interview as the Oregon Kid Governor!Rosie holds a mic and is being interviewed by Wendy from CC Media.

I was able to meet Senate President Rob Wagner, tour his office, and take some photos with him. I even held the gavel!!Rosie with Rob Wagner at the podium. Rosie holds a gavel.

That wraps up my inauguration. I am happy to serve you all in 2025!