A Year 10 student from Santa Maria College will be one of 97 students converging on Parliament for a three day forum in August, Alfred Cove MLA Dr Janet Woollard MLA said today.

Year 10 student Zoe Botica has been selected to represent Dr Woollard’s electoral district of Alfred Cove in the Legislative Assembly.

“Zoe has been selected to represent the seat of Alfred Cove in the 2011 Statewide Student Parliament,” Dr Woollard said.

“This is a great experience for young people who have are keen on learning about how the political system works.

“It’s an opportunity for young people like Zoe to contribute the views of their electorate and take the issues of concern at a local level to Parliament.”

Zoe recently returned from a trip to Canberra, which had been organised through her school.

“The Canberra tour was a worthwhile learning experience,” Zoe said.

“We visited various educational sites such as the Old and New Parliament Houses, Government House, the National War Memorial, National Museum, National Art Gallery and the Australian Electoral Commission.

“One of my areas of interest is politics and law and I hope to study these subjects in years 11 and 12 and continue with a future career in this area.

“I have strong views on justice and equality for all people and spend a significant part of my leisure time on voluntary service.

“An understanding of the source of our legislation and the manner in which it is undertaken will be of considerable benefit to me.”

The three day event runs from Sunday, 28 August to Tuesday, 30 August.