Sky Vista middle schooler Angelique Tolbert leads the state as Colorado Governor for a day

AURORA | Angelique Tolbert ceremoniously signed her name to the official state scroll, declaring Oct. 12 “Let Students Lead Day.”

As just one of a few hundred students at Sky Vista Middle School in Aurora, she doesn’t get to sign official documents. As governor of Colorado, however, it was just part of a busy day, if only for a day.

Tolbert was Colorado’s chief executive on Monday, sort of.

Tolbert was one of two students selected from across the state last month as part of a “Governor for a Day” contest.  Another eighth grader, Weston Hancock, from Windsor, was also selected to work at Colorado’s top job for the day.

When it came time for Tolbert to sign her proclamation and meet the press, she and Colorado’s usual governor, Jared Polis, had already spent much of the day reviewing budget plans and documents and meeting the gubernatorial cabinet on issues linked to wildlife and environmental preservation. She was particularly curious as to how decisions surrounding education and early childhood education are made, and how they impact students and teachers. 

With the Legislature out of session, she was able to focus on the issues of the day and not just of the moment among the steady hum under the gold dome at the state Capitol.

While Tolbert doesn’t run the state very often —  well, just once — she’s used to big ideas and big dreams as a middle schooler. 

She’s going to law school. She’s certain.

“I really want to go to Harvard and go to law school, so with that being one of my goals, I really have to push myself for excellence,” Tolbert said. 

Like most governors, she’s got a lot to say about the way things are and the way things should be and what she plans to do to get everyone there.

For her first gubernatorial proclamation, Tolbert wanted to make sure other students her age have a voice in government. 

“Whereas leadership begins with listening, helping others, and bringing people together, and every Coloradan, regardless of age, has something to offer the community, and whereas the students of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and every student deserves the opportunity to explore what leadership means and to practice leading in schools and their lives.” 

As a lawyer and, who knows, maybe governor again, Tolbert wants to give a voice to people who need help speaking up. She feels like  practicing family law would “ help kids that have single-parent households like me.” 

At her house, it’s just her, her dad and her grandmother. While that can bring a unique set of challenges, it inspires her to keep pushing herself.

“Living in a single-parent household, there are a lot of difficulties that can come with only having one parent versus the other,” Tolbert said. “With it just being my dad…sometimes it’s hard to see all the things that I would if I lived with both parents.” 

Tolbert said she wants to make sure that other people her age have a legal system that has their best interests at heart. 

A champion for Colorado, Tolbert told reporters that she loved her home state and appreciated all the support she received from her family, teachers, community, and the governor’s team who welcomed her for the day. 

State and school officials noted that she’s a high-achiever, an active member of student council at Sky Vista Middle School, a member of the school’s drama club, and part of the National Junior Honor Society. Not only has Tolbert maintained a high GPA and a commitment to academic excellence, but she said likes to lead through positivity and uplifting others to try their best. 

“My advice to students is to not be afraid to put yourself out there, because you can always make a positive impact on somebody’s life, even with just a smile,” Tolbert said. “There’s always a brighter future ahead.”

Tolbert told the Sentinel she was encouraged to apply for the gubernatorial contest by her father one day after getting out of her drama club meeting. 

Tolbert submitted a video from her grandmother’s garden, where she discussed her philosophy of leading with courage, patience, and a community-focused mindset. 

She said she’s always been a driven and confident person, but she was in disbelief when her father broke the news to her that she had been selected to be Governor for a Day.

“I really screamed out loud,” Tolbert recalled. “I was really happy for the opportunity. I must’ve said, ‘really,’ about 1000 times because I never thought that opportunity could really happen for me.”

Polis said he was thrilled to step down for a day and welcome Tolbert to take over for a while.

Tolbert worked with the governor’s staff to craft the resolution that they’d be signing, Polis said, co-signing the proclamation. Polis, who is in the final months of his final term as term-limited governor, applauded Tolbert’s creativity and thoughtfulness. He said choosing her was easy because her video stood out from the more than 150 submissions his office received. 

Her father, Mark Tolbert, said that even though he encouraged his daughter, she was able to snag this dream by herself. 

Angelique “is so self-motivated that all you have to do is make a suggestion and she’ll run with it,” Mark Tolbert said. 

Mark told the Sentinel he was proud of the “human being” his daughter had “developed herself into” and that he “wasn’t surprised” to see her do as well for herself as she does. 

She said her optimism and enthusiasm comes easy because her home and school in Aurora are filled with something new and different all the time.

“One of my favorite parts of growing up here is being surrounded by so many different cultures, and, of course, seeing our beautiful mountains and sun-sets,” Tolbert said. “I’m passionate about helping students learn about different cultures. I’m developing a program called B.R.A.I.N.: Bringing Racial Awareness Into the Narrative to promote cultural understanding and prevent bullying in schools.” 

Of Gen Alpha peers, Tolbert said that elected officials shouldn’t write off people her age as “naive,”  and that many have yet to have the chance to “speak their minds.” 

She said that, for a lot of kids her age, diversity was an issue that mattered to them and she wanted to make sure people felt like they had a voice. 

“Diversity, not even just things that we can see like race, but how mental disabilities and financial/economic brackets are represented,” Tolbert said, adding that she feels that there are areas where society could do more to treat others equally. 

Tolbert said that she hopes that her time as governor shows others that “you’re never too young to make a difference.” 

“I know that sometimes you don’t see people who look like you in the roles you dream of having,” Tolbert said. “Other kids should be able to see that representation and know they can live up to their dreams.”