The work done by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA), while always rewarding, can sometimes be stressful, and occasionally downright depressing.

The statistics and real-world conversations about the things which impact children often wear on our team as we work to improve children’s lives.

Still, one of the best and brightest parts of our work offsets the gloominess is our work on the Kid Governor and 4-H Junior Governor programs. Through these projects, we see the hope these young Oklahomans have for a better future; that reinvigorates us, knowing we truly are making a difference.

OICA helped initiate the original concept in 2015 with the selection of a young person to serve in the role of Kid Governor in conjunction with another nonprofit organization. The program morphed into the current project with the selection of our sixth Kid Governor. We partnered with the Connecticut Democracy Project to provide lesson plans for 5th grade teachers to use to better educate their students about government, the need to better understand civics, and the importance of voting once they turn 18.

Last year, teachers were concerned about the program and all the classrooms which had normally participated had chosen to withdraw from the program. OICA pivoted to partner with Oklahoma 4-H to continue this program through a one-day conference for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders enrolled in their organization, which yielded an impressive slate of young leaders to fulfill that role for 2025.

I want to thank Kid Governor Emma Stephens from Ardmore; Kid Lt. Gov. Shawn Ferrell from Orlando; Kid Secretary of State Lawson Ream from Alva; and Kid Cabinet members Clayton Rohla from Roff, Ryan Young from Chickasha, Koda White from Vici, Alburto Harmon from Perry, and Harper Witt from Antlers for their work this year.

For 2026, OICA was able to continue this 4-H partnership and rebuild our classroom component, allowing us to operate two separate opportunities for youth. The 4-H Junior Governor conference with more than 40 students in attendance selected their leaders Nov. 1; our classroom Kid Governor program completed its election just last week, with 1,187 students going through the lesson plans.

Oklahoma’s Kid Governor for 2026 is Katelyn Talley, a 5th grader from Valliant in southeastern Oklahoma. Her platform is animal abuse prevention.

The Kid Lieutenant Governor is Sophia Chavarria Rivera, a 5th grader from Bethany, and her platform is the prevention of bullying.

The Kid Secretary of State is Daphne Tanequodle, a 5th grader from Lawton, who was elected with a platform of addressing homelessness.

The winners of the 4-H Junior Governor elections, their schools, and platforms are:

• Junior Governor Riley Braden, from Brisco in Creek County. Riley is home schooled and ran on a platform to protect and promote the sanctity of life.

• Junior Lieutenant Governor is Whitlee Moser from Perkins in Payne County. Whitlee attends Perkins Tryon Intermediate School and ran on a platform of education.

• Junior Secretary of State is Riley Rudder from Fort Towson. Riley attends Rattan Elementary in Pushmataha County and ran on a platform of turtle conservation.

• The first Junior Cabinet Member is Lizzie Marlin from Adair in Mayes County. Lizzie attends Bernita Hughes Elementary and ran on the platform of smoking prevention and education.

• The second Junior Cabinet Member is Victoria Justice from Depew in Creek County. Victoria is homeschooled and her platform is to prevent debt collectors from making spam calls.

The student leaders will be inaugurated during a ceremony at the State Capitol on February 2, 2026, the opening day of the Oklahoma Legislature’s session.

For more information about how you can help support the Kid Governor program with a donation that helps provide mileage reimbursement for the students and allow us to operate the program, contact OICA at info@oica.org or call (405) 236-KIDS (5437).

-The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.