Local Students Headed to Albany

Rye Neck High School sophomores Luke Murphy and Annabel Gutterman, along with teammate Lara Cohen, a junior at Blind Brook High, have been selected to attend the Students Inside Albany program.

Rye Neck High School sophomores Luke Murphy and Annabel Gutterman, along with teammate Lara Cohen, a junior at Blind Brook High, have been selected to attend the Students Inside Albany program.

The 10th annual program, to be held next month, is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of New York State Educational Foundation. It will bring some 40 students from across the state to get a first-hand education on state government.

At Rye Neck, Luke Murphy is a member of the Student Senate and the Independent Learner Program, which studied the impact of globalization using the theories and techniques of Thomas Friedman and Daniel Pink. Through the program, he also participates in Tools for Change and has taken a leadership role there. He is a member of the varsity golf team and works as a sales assistant at Rye Golf Club.

Annabel Gutterman has also participated in the Tools for Change program. She gives back to the community volunteering with the Mamaroneck Arts Council. She is a member of the International Club and French Club, plays varsity field hockey, and loves the social sciences as well as creative writing and photography.

The students were selected by the League’s local Rye, Rye Brook & Port Chester chapter through a competitive process designed to assess the student’s interests, goals, and leadership abilities. The competition was open to students who live or attend high schools in Rye, Rye Neck, Blind Brook, and Port Chester.  

While at the Albany conference, students will participate in a series of interactive lectures on topics including the state budget process, the role of lobbyists in the legislative process, citizen rights to access government information, and the move to reform state government. Students will also have an opportunity to shadow their representatives.