Volunteer Girls State

How?
You are responsible for your transportation to and from Girls State. If you drive your own car, parking is available in an MTSU parking lot near the dorm. Parking permits will be available at registration. You are not allowed to drive your car during your stay at MTSU.

Arrival
Registration is between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Central Daylight Time, on Sunday, May 25, in the CKNB (Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building) at the corner of Blue Raider Blvd. and MTSU Blvd. Please complete registration before unloading your luggage, which should be labeled with your name and address. Upon arrival, ALA VGS staff will be guide you through the registration process.

Registration Forms (bring completed forms to registration) and $25 Activity Fee
• Medical form, completed and signed by parent or guardian (no doctor’s signature is necessary), with copy of insurance card attached
• Media permission form, signed by parent or guardian
• VGS rules, signed by citizen and parent or guardian
• Samsung application
(If you are eligible – please visit our Samsung info page for details and eligibility requirements.)
• $25 Activity Fee

Departure
Citizens should be picked up Saturday, May 31, at 4 p.m., Central Daylight Time, in the lobby of your dorm. There will be no counselor supervision after 4:30 p.m. CDT.

If, for any reason, you cannot arrive on Sunday, May 25, or remain until Saturday, May 31, you must inform your school guidance counselor, chair of your school’s VGS committee, and Julia Wells, Chairwoman of ALA VGS.

Failure to notify a representative of VGS of your decision not to attend could result in your repayment of your $250.00 fee to your sponsor.

What do I pack for ALA VGS?
Download and print our printable checklist to ease the packing process.

What’s In It for Me?
As staff and counselors, we firmly believe that this program is life-changing. Not only will you experience cooperation among 500 of your peers to build a working government and make new friends from across Tennessee, but VGS also provides the following benefits:

Samsung Scholarship
This scholarship is one of a series of scholarships derived from an endowment from the Samsung Corporation, a worldwide leader in electronics. The endowment was created to express appreciation to U.S. veterans who came to the aid of Korea during its struggle against communist forces during the Korean War. The American Legion administers this scholarship program from a Samsung scholarship fund. Please visit our Samsung information page for complete details, as well as a link to download the application.

Girls Nation
Volunteer Girls State selects two citizens to travel to Washington, D.C., in the middle of July to serve as senators from Tennessee in the Girls Nation program. Girls Nation citizens participate in a mock federal government, electing and appointing federal officials. Over the years, VGS has sent several citizens who have been elected Girls Nation president. Highlights of that week include: meeting senators, representatives, and other high-ranking federal officials; touring the Washington, D.C., monuments and the Smithsonian; and touring the White House and possibly meeting with the president of the United States.

The ALA VGS Network
The people you meet at VGS and the friends you make are all young women with tremendous potential and successful futures ahead. Citizens selection is based on academic achievement, strength of character, and school and community contributions. The counselors and staff who lead you during the week, all former VGS citizens, will share their many talents and successes with you as well. The value of making connections with these kinds of women is difficult to measure, but well worth your time and hard work.

What if I have additional questions?
Use our contact page to send us a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Directions to ALA VGS at MTSU

From Nashville

1. Take I-24E to Murfreesboro exit 76.
2. Turn left onto Medical Center Parkway and proceed for 4 miles to Memorial Blvd.
3. Turn left on Memorial and go .5 miles to Clark Blvd.
4. Turn right on E. Clark and drive for 1.1 miles. (Street name changes to Middle Tennessee Blvd.)
5. Proceed 0.9 miles to Faulkinberry Dr. and turn left.
6. Proceed through the three-way stop and on to the four-way stop at the corner of Faulkinberry and Blue Raider Dr.
7. The parking lot for Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building is directly across the street from the four-way stop.

ALTERNATE DIRECTIONS FROM NASHVILLE

1. Take I-24E to Murfreesboro exit 78B.
2. Merge onto Old Fort Parkway (Hwy 96E) and drive 2.1 miles.
3. Turn right onto Broad Street (US-41S/70S).
4. Drive 0.4 miles and turn left onto West Main Street.
5. Proceed through the town square to E. Main Street.
6. Proceed 1.4 miles on E. Main Street and turn left onto Middle Tennessee Blvd.
7. Proceed 0.6 miles and turn right onto Faulkinberry Dr.
8. Proceed through the three-way stop and on to the four-way stop at the corner of Faulkinberry and Blue Raider Dr.
9. The parking lot for Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building is directly across the street from the four-way stop.

From Knoxville

1. Take I-40W to Nashville/Lebanon and exit onto 840W.
2. Take Murfreesboro/Smyrna (US-41S/ 70S) exit 55A.
3. Merge onto US-41S/ 70S (Broad Street).
4. Drive 4.5 miles and turn left onto W. Main Street, proceed through the town square to E. Main Street.
5. Proceed 1.4 miles on E. Main Street and turn left onto Middle Tennessee Blvd.
6. Proceed 0.6 miles and turn right onto Faulkinberry Dr.
7. Proceed through the three-way stop and on to the four-way stop at the corner of Faulkinberry and Blue Raider Dr.
8. The parking lot for Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building is directly across the street from the four-way stop.

From Chattanooga

1. Take I-24W toward Nashville.
2. Take Murfreesboro exit 81.
3. At the red light, turn right onto Church Street (US-231N).
4. Drive 0.9 miles and turn right onto Middle Tennessee Blvd.
5. Drive 1.9 miles and cross Main Street. At this point, the street name will change to Middle Tennessee Blvd.
6. Proceed 0.6 miles and turn right onto Faulkinberry Dr.
7. Proceed through the three-way stop and on to the four-way stop at the corner of Faulkinberry and Blue Raider Dr.
8. The parking lot for Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building is directly across the street from the four-way stop.

From Columbia

1. Take I-65N to TN 840E exit 59.
2. Take exit 53A onto I-24E towards Chattanooga.
3. Take either exit 76 or exit 78B and follow the directions from Nashville above.

From Memphis

1. Take I-40E to Nashville and then I-440 to I-24E.
2. Continue using directions from Nashville above to Murfreesboro and MTSU.

"I have learned
that to be independent doesn't mean standing
alone,
but having
the guts
to stand with someone."

Sevier City citizen