Robert Perry ’12, is a typical student at Staples High School. He takes school seriously, he participates in several extracurricular activities and he’s running for governor.

Maybe that isn’t so typical.

Perry was born in Larchmont, N.Y., but moved to Baltimore, M.D. when he was 2-years-old. Being close to Washington, D.C. opened some political doors for young Perry. “I  feel that the area I was from was at least slightly more politically aware than here in Westport and that definitely could have influenced me,” Perry said.

Perry’s interest in politics began at a young age. He had opinions on all of the facets of American government; however, he never found the urge to express them, or a platform to present them on. When Perry moved to Westport, Junior State of America (JSA) offered him exactly that, and he has flourished ever since.

Perry has attended every major Northeast State (NES) event and obtained a large interest and knowledge of the political views of high school students. That inspired him to attain leadership roles within the organization. He currently is the Chief-of-Staff for Staples’ JSA chapter and is the NES Director of Communications.

“As Chief of Staff, I am basically the king of grunt work. I do whatever miscellaneous things our lovely Chapter President Caela McCann ’11 needs done,” Perry said. “And as Director of Communications, I’m in charge of ensuring that communications between state departments and between the cabinet members and the average JSAer are done easily and efficiently.”

Perry believes his experience, as the Director of Communications, will infinitely aid his potential role as NES Governor. Being in charge of communications requires Perry to have an extensive knowledge of the means by which the participants communicate. Knowing this, Perry believes it’s of the utmost importance to have everyone involved. “I feel it is very important for the people to share their ideas, and I can provide them with the necessary means to do so,” Perry said.

Perry also has experience in pressure-situations. “I created the entire submission form for the bills for Winter Congress when the initial one that we paid for crashed,” Perry said.

Impressed yet?

Perry is by no means satisfied with his political career thus far. He’s well into his campaign for NES Governor and hopes to win the position come decision time. “Short and simple, I want the position because I believe I am the best person for the job. I believe I have the necessary ideas and dedication to bring JSA to its full potential. If I didn’t, I would not be running,” Perry said. “I saw the changes that needed to take place throughout the organization, and I believe that I am the best person to bring about this reform.”

However, Perry does have a less serious side. Perry said that going to conventions has not only helped him gain knowledge of other members, but helped him relax, too.

“One of my major focuses in campaigning is ensuring that I get the people what they want. From my infinite wisdom, I was able to figure out that in order to get the people what they want I first have to know what they want. Therefore, these conventions are incredibly important because they give me a chance to get to know everyone,” Perry said. “And, of course, hang with the bros.”