Knowing her rights

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Staff Photo by Grant Morris Julia Parker stands with a copy of The Constitution in her Merrimack back yard, Thursday evening. Parker was awarded a $500 scholarship by the NRA. She'll be attending Brigham Young University in the Fall.

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Staff Photo by Grant Morris Julia Parker, left, instructs Alexis Warner during a violin lesson, Thursday afternoon at her Merrimack home. Parker was awarded a $500 scholarship by the NRA during the Youth Education Summit in Washington D.C.

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Staff Photo by Grant Morris Julia Parker, left, instructs Alexis Warner during a violin lesson, Thursday afternoon at her Merrimack home. Parker was awarded a $500 scholarship by the NRA during the Youth Education Summit in Washington D.C.

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Staff Photo by Grant Morris Julia Parker stands with a copy of The Constitution in her Merrimack back yard, Thursday evening. Parker was awarded a $500 scholarship by the NRA. She'll be attending Brigham Young University in the Fall.

Enlarge Purchase Photo

Staff Photo by Grant Morris Julia Parker stands with a copy of The Constitution in her Merrimack back yard, Thursday evening. Parker was awarded a $500 scholarship by the NRA. She'll be attending Brigham Young University in the Fall.

Enlarge Purchase Photo

MERRIMACK – Seventeen-year-old home school student Julia Parker, of Merrimack, has grown up learning the importance of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights – especially the right to bear arms.

“Our parents have always tried to give us that love of the Constitution to help us understand so we can be forces for good in our country and in our lives,” Parker explained.

To prepare for her political science minor at Brigham Young University this fall, Parker was searching around for political conferences when she came across the National Rifle Association’s National Youth Education Summit in Washington, D.C., and found it tailor-made to her interests and hobbies.

“It sounded it like such a great opportunity because I am so passionate about defending our Constitution, it’s something I enjoy doing,” Parker said. “I had experience with firearms in the past, and it was a conference geared towards young Americans that were conservative, that wanted to protect our constitutional, God-given rights.”

Parker, a home school junior at the time, applied to attend the competitive conference with plenty of political experience participating in youth leadership programs, lobbying for conservative legislation, and helping out with local and national campaigns.

She also brought a wealth of leadership experience to the YES application as president of her church-sponsored youth group through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and earning the Young Women’s Recognition Award, which demanded more than 100 hours of community service.

“It was really a blessing,” being selected to attend the summit, Parker said. “I was so excited, I couldn’t believe I actually made it in.”

From July 12-18, Parker took an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in the NRA summit that motivates students to become active and knowledgeable U.S. citizens by learning the significance of the Constitution and understanding the federal government.

“It was really neat for one thing, to be there with so many other youth that share your values, that help you grow,” Parkers said. “They all have this passion for the Constitution, so you really feel like you’re with your colleagues. We were all on the same level, understanding how important this was.”

One of 45 high school students from approximately 40 states across the county, Parker, the only representative from New Hampshire, spent a week of her summer touring the Pentagon, the National Archives, numerous war memorials, the Capitol and the Marine Corps base, Quantico. She also had the opportunity to chat with Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, R-Calif., and NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre, among other things.

“The week was quite packed, but it was worth every minute of it,” Parker said.

The opportunity to watch the “8th and I” parade was one of the more memorable activities that week, Parker said.

“We went to the ‘8th and I’ parade and saw the silent drill team,” Parker said. “There was a moment at the end for the fallen, for the missing in action and the prisoners of war, and they played taps so that was very touching to understand the measure of the sacrifice that these men give to our country.”

Plus, the YES group got the opportunity to take target practice at the NRA range and experience the “musket to machine gun” demonstration, where they were able to watch guns unload from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War, Parker said.

Though Parker has had some target shooting experience from visits to a local range with her father and brothers, she said you don’t have to be a seasoned marksman to attend the NRA summit.

“There were some people there that had never shot a firearm before coming,” Parker said. “They consider your grades, they consider your involvement with the community, they consider your essay, and speech experience is good, too. But there were people that had never done a debate before, or had never shot a firearm. It’s really open to anybody that wants to apply.”

On top of her intense involvement with local politics, and her dedication to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Parker is also a part-time violin teacher and plans to attend BYU next fall with a scholarship as a violin performance major – on top of her political science minor and interest in joining the Young Republicans or the Young Americans for Freedom.

Parker said she isn’t exactly sure what she wants to do after college yet, but there are a number of avenues she could see herself pursuing.

“My first desire is to be a wife and a mom and to have a family, but before that, ultimately my goal would be to be in a professional orchestra, or to be a teacher with a private studio,” Parker said. “As far as the political side goes, maybe being a senator or a congressman’s staff member, or doing internships for local or national political leaders, that’s something I would enjoy.”

And for those that don’t understand how Parker can mix her passions for government and religion so easily, after leading a debate at the YES summit over “whether the constitutional right of freedom has wrongly evolved into the freedom from religion,” Parker had plenty to say on the topic.

“I know a lot of people say religion and politics don’t mix, but I feel God has given us our government to make sure we can preserve our freedoms and to be able to do his work and what he would like us to do in our lives,” Parker said. “Our government protects those rights for us, and if we don’t have that basis from God, our rights from God, then our whole government will crumble. These rights cannot be taken away because they’re not given to us from man, they’re divine, unalienable rights given to us from our heavenly father.”

It’s no wonder Parker earned a $500 scholarship from the Friends of the NRA at the Youth Education Summit, based on her weeklong efforts making speeches, participating in debates, asking questions, and participating in the NRA’s radio show, “Cam and Company.”

But the scholarship is not the only thing Parker brought back with her from Washington, D.C.

“I would say I have even more of a desire to protect our Constitution and our God-given rights” after the conference, Parker said, “as well as a desire to help inform other youth in our communities how they can be involved and how important it is that they understand and work actively to promote good legislation that supports our constitution and our rights.”

Maryalice Gill can be reached at 594-6490 or mgill@nashuatelegraph.com.