Do teenagers in America have a role in the country's future?

You bet, says Cassia Wagner.

Wagner, 16, was Montana's winner in the annual Voice of Democracy essay competition sponsored by the VFW. She answered that question in her speech, which won her a $1,000 scholarship and trips to Washington, D.C., and Valley Forge, Pa.

Americans of all ages have a responsibility to be involved in government, said Wagner, who lives in Kalispell.

"Because it's just a fact that government is made up of people. We have a role. We can influence people. We can vote," she said.

Montanans seem to have several opportunities to be active in government, she added. Wagner experienced this firsthand this year when she worked as a legislative page in Helena.

Young people shouldn't let their age stop them from getting involved, she added.

"When Lincoln was 16, he didn't think he had influence. But there he [is], one of the most famous presidents in our history," she said.

Wagner's essay explored those themes and won at the local, regional and state levels. She said she didn't find out she'd won at all until she learned her essay had been picked as the best in Montana.

The state win included a trip in March to Washington, D.C., where, in addition to attending an awards ceremony for state winners, Wagner explored the capital. She visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the U.S. Supreme Court, the Smithsonian, Ford's Theatre, Arlington National Cemetery and several national monuments.

The best part of the trip was visiting the Library of Congress, Wagner said.

"It gave me thrills," she said. "I was like a kid in a candy shop."

In June, Wagner spent two days at the Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides education opportunities for students, teachers and citizens, according to the organization's website.

The conference Wagner attended was specifically for high school students and included lectures on the Bill of Rights and a mock Congress.

On that trip, Wagner also got to visit Philadelphia, where she toured Independence Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art and saw the Liberty Bell.

By the end of the trips, the Voice of Democracy contest winners felt more like family than strangers, Wagner said.

"One of my favorite aspects was the bond I formed with kids from other states," she said. "All these kids are brilliant."

They've formed a Facebook group to stay in touch and are already planning a reunion, she added.

Squeezing in a reunion could be a challenge; starting this fall, Wagner plans to take classes half time at Flathead Valley Community College and continue working at Super 1 Foods in Kalispell. The home-schooled student graduated two years early in May but said she doesn't yet know what kind of career she wants.

Wagner said she does know she wants to somehow help people.

"I thought about being a librarian," she said. "Encouraging literacy is very important."

Wagner has volunteered at the Flathead County Library for two hours a week for more than two years. She also is actively involved in community service through her church, Central Bible Church in Kalispell.

Service is very important, she said.

"Being that neighbor, being that helping hand - as Americans, we need to be the leaders of our generation," she said. "Freedom comes with responsibility, so we need to help each other out."

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.