Abigail Hurst walked up and introduced herself to Michael Bidwill.
After a brief exchange, the Cardinals owner took a step back.
"You are going to be a sailor?" he said excitedly after hearing she will enroll in the Naval Academy. "That's awesome!"
Hurst represents what the Civics Matters Arizona trip is all about. In 2024, she was one of the 275 students on the annual trip to Washington D.C. Back then, she had some interest and knowledge about civics and the government. After the four-day, three-night trip, she felt inspired to do more.
"I learned so much and I took so much away from it," Hurst said. "I met so many amazing people and that really sparked a passion for wanting to go into civics."
She will study political science at Navy. On Wednesday morning, she was one of the guests speaking to the next group of students set to embark on the life-changing trip across the country on the Cardinals team plane. It's the fifth annual trip.
"It's affirming that (Civics Matters Arizona) is really having an impact," Bidwill said. "When they come back, they're really enlightened and empowered to learn more and get more involved."
On the trip, the group will hear from Congressman Juan Ciscomani and Senator Mark Kelly. They will visit museums, take a tour of the United States Capitol, and walk across the street to the United States Supreme Court.
Much of the trip includes workshops and discourse, organized by the Close Up Foundation, in the hopes of creating meaningful and powerful dialogue.
"I don't know if I fully grasp how impactful this could be," said Aashni Saham, who attends Scottsdale Saguaro High School. "I just know it's going to mean a lot to all of these kids and shape how we might look at government."
Students from 55 schools, 28 school districts, and 19 different cities were represented, with 41 of those schools located in Title I communities. Through a competitive process, students were selected after completing civic learning modules. They also took part in a leadership challenge project.
At the send-off from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Cardinals Chief People Officer Shaun Mayo asked for a show of hands who had not been to Washington D.C. before. The majority of the crowd raised their hands.
Tetiana, a foreign exchange student from Ukraine who is studying in Sedona, was one of those students.
"It's exciting because this year I took U.S. History in school," she said. "It was my first year learning about the U.S. in general. It's pretty exciting because I get to see and experience everything that I learned during this year, so it's a good conclusion to my year because I'll be going back to Ukraine in a bit."
