Evans student meets, talks with justice
Ninth-grader Kirstin Rissing listens to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy after his dedication speech at Columbia Countys new judicial annex.
Photo by Karen EthridgePersistence earned a Columbia County ninth-grader an audience with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy after his dedication speech at the new Columbia County Courthouse Annex in Evans last Wednesday.
Kirstin Rissing, 14, went to the dedication ceremony with her mother, brother and a friend.
"I told them I wanted to shake hands with him, so I went and waited by the security guard until he had a free moment," she said.
Their conversation lasted about five minutes, she said. The home-schooled ninth-grader told Kennedy she was an advanced-placement government student, and he suggested a Web site that might interest her. Fostering the nation's youth - the future of law - was one of the key points in his dedication speech.
"It was really amazing," said Kirstin, the daughter of Kathy and Petter Rissing of Evans.
"I've always been a fan of the Supreme Court," Kirstin said. "In his speech, he talked about youth and read a poem a junior had written after Sept. 11. He is very big on going out into the community and going to high schools. I was glad to be there."
Kirstin said she would either like to go into politics or become a writer when she grows up. Meeting Justice Kennedy was a thrill, she said.
"I called my sister in college and said, 'Guess what?' I was so excited."