Becky Jones boasts a job title few 20-year-olds can match: Maryland State Attorney General. And while Douglas Gansler may be the person filling that role, at least according to the state of Maryland, the Ellicott City resident can lay an almost equal claim to the position.

The difference is that Jones, a junior at the College of Notre Dame, is part of the Maryland Student Legislature. And while her powers to influence actual legislation may be less, she's probably having at least as much fun.

And she doesn't have to wear a suit to work every day.

Jones, a Centennial High School graduate, has "always been interested in politics" and is, in fact, majoring in political science. "I love to debate," she said.

Why attorney general? "I wanted to work behind the scenes," she noted. "And I wanted to be able to influence legislation."

This year, as acting attorney general for the student's version of the state senate -- she'll actually be the student legislature's attorney general next year -- Jones shadowed the woman who's this year's attorney general, but was able to work on one bill.

"We wrote a bill to require stores to only use a certain number of plastic bags in a year, and encourage recycling," she recalled. "It passed the senate, but the house offered too many amendments that really defeated the purpose of the bill." For example: "They wanted to change the mandatory limits on the number of bags to suggested limits. We ran out of time."

Jones, who entered college as a psychology major, said political science "was always in the back of my mind." She switched her major to political science, and hopes to go to graduate school.

"I'd like to work in fair trade, micro lending, international development," she said. "I want to become more involved."

Lack of involvement hardly seems to be a problem. Jones said she was a member of Amnesty International in high school -- "Notre Dame doesn't have a chapter" -- and was also a member of an animal rights advocacy group. She was also secretary of a student environmental organization that encouraged using tote bags rather than throw-away bags, and planted trees as well as selling tote bags.

Political career in the wings

"I'm 20, I want to try different things," she said. "I'd like to work in the (federal) house or senate one day," possibly as an aide to a member of Congress.

But for now she has a year to prepare for next year's Maryland Student Legislature session, which will be the group's 20th. For the next year she'll "put meetings together, advise on legislation, edit legislation, prepare for next year." And one more thing: "Build more confidence in speaking."

According to Jones, student legislature members meet at participating universities around the state in preparation for the group's annual April sessions. Students who are elected -- Jones ran unopposed -- learn the ropes of their new positions at the first annual session they attend, then become the official office holder the second year. Jones, who's interests up until now have involved debating more than consensus building, is looking forward to acquiring some new skills.

"I'm in love with debating," she said. "You get to college, and all of a sudden you have all of these opinions and you want to tell people about them."

But as the student attorney general, she can't harangue people into going along with her point of view. In fact, she said she wants to bring "more diversity in" the student legislature next year, and ensure that many different opinions are voiced.

Jones' own opinions tend toward the liberal, a point of view she shares with her father. They also share an enthusiasm for music. David, her father, plays guitar and drums, while Jones played violin and piano in high school, and also plays guitar.

She did, in fact, once play in an all-female punk band that specialized in covers of Ramones songs. The band's name? The Ramonas. She also played in the NoGoodNiks, another punk band.

While she likes music, she loves college, calling the College of Notre Dame "a close knit community where everyone seems very real."

Luckily for her, Notre Dame was one of the nine colleges in the state that are part of the Maryland Student Legislature. Although students must attend one of the participating colleges to be part of the program, they don't have to be Maryland residents. This year, the winner of the best orator award came from Kansas, and Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Oregon were also represented among the participants.

Though normally held in the state's legislative buildings, this year's session took place in the Lowe House Office Building. Jones said she'd been to Annapolis for field trips, but actually working in one of the buildings where important legislative work is done every year "was really awesome."

From May 1-3 next year, Jones will be working as the student attorney general in the State House, in Annapolis. It will continue the love affair she's had with the political process for years.

"I registered to vote the first day I could," she said. "Did I vote? Absolutely!"

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