The Daily Delegate

We had the amazing opportunity to interview Ashton Adibi, the current Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. Adibi is a part of the Palisades-Malibu delegation and has been participating in Youth and Government since his freshmen year in 2021.

During the 2024 – 2025 Youth and Government elections, Adibi ran to be the next youth governor. Although he was not elected, the current youth governor suggested that he join the cabinet instead, “I actually ran against the youth governor, Violet, there was like twelve candidates in total. I got like, second, and she won… and she’s like ‘Yeah you should run for the cabinet,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I would love to.’” He then explains the process to become a Deputy Director; he had to submit an application, complete an interview with the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and the Chief of Staff, and then was able to get the job. This process exposed him about what it’s like to work with a team full of leaders, who are all consistent and persistent throughout the program areas, delegates, and bills. Ashton Adibi explained his favorite part during his time working with the other delegates, “We all have the same goal, to make this experience for the delegates better.”

But what is it exactly that the Deputy Director does? Adibi explained that currently, they were working on setting a framework for the next cabinet; they are developing a report for the next youth governor to identify problems that delegates face everyday, in and out of conference. To achieve this, delegates are pulled out of their program areas to be interviewed on how Youth and Government can be improved. Adibi has also grown a lot through his role. He described how public speaking was originally the most difficult part for him, “I wasn’t really a public speaker, like, whenever I was growing up, and then I would just practice it, speak to more people, people that I’ve just met, or people that I haven’t even met at all, and, like, I kind of grew a passion for it, and it was hard in the beginning, but eventually I got the hang of it.”

Throughout his time in the governor’s cabinet, Adibi explains how his role has helped him grow more confident, “I am not, just like, procrastinating or doomscrolling on my phone, I saw that there’s a role that I have, in this program area, and that is to provide for the delegates.”

By: Eden Jonick and Cora deRidder