The entire conference room filled with the vibration of drum rolls. One girl held her breath. As she awaited the announcer’s next words, the last six months of tireless campaigning, courtroom speeches and late nights flashed through her head.
That’s when she heard it.
“And our 79th Chief Justice is Abigail!”
On Feb. 16, junior Abigail Tesfaye was elected as the 79th Chief Justice for California’s Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Youth and Government program at their annual Sacramento conference. For Tesfaye, the experience was surreal.
“It was very scary,” Tesfaye said. “Everybody was like, ‘Who’s it going to be?’ So when they announced it was me and I raised my right hand and got sworn in, it was amazing.”
California’s YMCA Youth and Government Model Legislature and Court (MLC) allows thousands of high school students to come together, participate in debates, advocate in court and pass bills in a full-scale government simulation. As Chief Justice, Tesfaye presides over the California Supreme Court and represents the South Pasadena and San Marino delegation in one of the highest positions in the program. Alongside the California Youth Governor and the Secretary of State, she will meet with California legislators to pass legislation and discuss some of today’s most relevant issues.
In her new role, Tesfaye’s agenda includes rallying more support for juvenile justice and rehabilitation in California, specifically in increasing funding for underserved youth.
“As a woman of color, I’ve always seen [criminal injustice] as a systemic problem in my community,” Tesfaye said. “But being an advocate for that on a statewide level, I realize it goes beyond just my ethnic community and I hope to expand support to people who currently face that problem everywhere.”
Tesfaye also seeks to expand legal education literacy for delegates in order to address some of the inequities between appellate districts and the Supreme Court.
“I want to bring more opportunities to delegates who want to know their rights and be more educated,” Tesfaye said. “I want to make that kind of learning accessible because that’s the best way to make true change.”
Tesfaye became involved in the YMCA program in her freshman year at South Pasadena High School—which she attended before she transferred to Walnut High her junior year—when the organization visited her honors English class. She was immediately hooked. Initially running for and serving as YMCA’s chief clerk over the Senate committee, Tesfaye read countless bills and passed them through the Senate, and her passion for leadership grew in return. Soon, that spark grew into a desire to run for Chief Justice.
“Being in leadership since my freshman year, especially statewide, has really inspired me to take charge and show that there’s so much more we can do to elect more diverse voices and have more women in power,” Tesfaye said.
Tesfaye began her Chief Justice campaign in August. The process began with attending multiple conferences, where she presented speeches and debates to California legislators alongside other candidates. In those speeches, Tesfaye spoke about her platform as a candidate and what she would bring in her position if she were to assume it. During debates, legislators also examined Tesfaye and other candidates’ knowledge of legal processes and political literacy. Tesfaye spent almost eight to nine hours each day preparing arguments, custom-made over 200 campaign buttons and designed several posters and Instagram posts for her campaign.
“It was so much work, but it was fantastic,” Tesfaye said. “You get to meet everyone and put yourself out there.”
Tesfaye ended up being one of two finalists to move on to the final round. In order to increase voter turnout, she and her opponent held Zoom meetings to connect with delegations and get in touch with more people. During the four-day Sacramento conference in February, they both gave their final speeches and Tesfaye was announced as Chief Justice on the last day.
“It was really emotional for me because Kayla, the 78th Chief Justice who has been my friend for a really long time, had just given her last goodbye speech before announcing that I had gotten the position,” Tesfaye said. “There were tears everywhere.”
Tesfaye notes that her delegation of about 50 people—who helped her put together campaign materials and promote her cause—and her family were huge supporting figures throughout the process. Tesfaye’s sister freshman Leona Tesfaye went on regular Michael’s runs to purchase markers and supplies for campaign posters, while Tesfaye’s dad drove her to and from different events and conferences.
“I really love that she’s so hardworking and wants to be successful,” Leona said. “It really pushes me to also give my 100% in the things that I want to do.”
Running for Chief Justice has also helped give Tesfaye a platform to pursue interests that align with her potential future career path. After undergraduate school, Tesfaye hopes to go to law school to pursue human rights law and bring her message to the real world.
“My experience has shown me that it’s really important to put yourself out there,” Tesfaye said. “I never knew that I would be where I am today, but putting yourself out there regardless of the outcome is what builds your character and your person.”
