First daughter Jenna Bush reflected on her experiences working with children in the Caribbean and Latin America to a large group at the Wisconsin Women in Government annual banquet Thursday night.
The presidential daughter and children’s rights activist was the keynote speaker for the banquet honoring the WWIG scholarship winners and Tribal Women of Distinction award winners.
“I want to congratulate this year’s scholars; it’s really wonderful that there is an organization like Wisconsin Women in Government for sponsoring young women and empowering them so they can go on and do great things,” Bush said.
Bush went on to speak about her internship with United Nations Children Fund and her book “Ana’s Story: A Journey of Hope.”
“The connection between education and HIV/AIDS is especially important, and through education we can prevent the illness from being spread, and de-stigmatize the disease,” said Bush.
The subject of Bush’s book is a 17-year-old girl named Ana, who was born with HIV and soon became an orphan. She had been abused, beaten and abandoned, according to Bush.
“She wanted to share her life story so that people in the United States would be inspired to make a difference,” Bush said.
Bush said the way to make a difference is through education. Although she went to work with kids in the Caribbean, HIV/AIDS is a problem all over the world, she said.
“You don’t have to move far away to find kids like Ana,” Bush said. “There are kids here in Madison who are facing the same hardships.”
Wisconsin first lady Jessica Doyle said Bush has done a great job expanding knowledge of world health problems. She reflected on a White House luncheon hosted by Laura Bush for the spouses of governors, where attendees were presented with mosquito nets that were going to be donated in their names to preventing malaria.
“Jenna, I believe you have influenced your parents and served to strengthen our country’s commitment to fighting diseases worldwide,” Doyle said.
Bush said she became interested in the children of Latin America through meeting her students and parents while teaching elementary school in Washington, D.C.
Paula Bonner, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Alumni Association, which sponsors a table every year at the banquet, said, “everyone has been really impressed with Bush.”
“I thought her message and experience was a very good message,” said Bonner. “It’s hard to be the president’s daughter.”
Past keynote speakers include Elizabeth Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Mary Matalin and others. This year’s banquet marks the first time the WWIG gave their Tribal Women of Distinction award. The WWIG also gave six $2,500 scholarships to women pursuing undergraduate work in government.
