Charlie Couch, a fifth grader at Meadows Elementary School in Ralston, Neb., smiles at State Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston after taking her oath of office and being ceremoniously sworn in as Nebraska’s first “kid governor.” Jan. 13, 2026. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
Nebraska Examiner Press Release
Written By:Cindy Gonzalez
LINCOLN — On a day unprecedented political tumult rocked the Nebraska Legislature, a new generation of elected leadership was sworn into office amid cheers and smiles in the State Capitol Rotunda.
Charlie Couch, a fifth-grader at Meadows Elementary School in Ralston, officially became Nebraska’s first-ever kid governor on Tuesday — after garnering the most votes in a November election of her peers.
The top six finalists in the race became Charlie’s cabinet and will help promote the platform she ran on, cancer awareness. They’ll also collectively come up with ideas and an agenda to push, offering a youthful perspective.
“We are showing everyone what leadership looks like in our state and in our communities,” Charlie said in her first official address following her swearing-in event attended by several state senators.
In an interview afterward, she told the Nebraska Examiner she was nervous yet excited when she stepped onto a stool to speak into the microphone.
“It’s awesome,” she said.
‘Stand tall’
That Charlie assumed her one-year post shortly after the Legislature witnessed the resignation of an embattled state lawmaker was a coincidence. Her victory was announced in November, and the swearing-in was scheduled. State Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst resigned Tuesday morning instead of risking becoming the first sitting senator expelled from the state’s officially nonpartisan lawmaking body.
Nearly 100 people attended the kid governor ceremony, including parents and school officials. A small band played.
Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston — who at 83 is the oldest sitting state lawmaker — presided over the swearing in of the young governor who just advanced to the double-digit age of 10. (The last time Nebraska had a female governor of any age was Kay Orr, who served from 1987 to 1991 and was the state’s only female governor.)
“Today’s your day to stand tall,” Riepe told Charlie, following comments by State Sens. Margo Juarez and John Fredrickson, both of Omaha. The legislators all also recognized the young governor’s cabinet members, who all attended the ceremony.
“It’s important to remember that democracy does not just happen,” said Fredrickson. “It requires work. It requires active participation. To see this next generation here and so invested … gets me inspired.”
LeeAnn Pancharoen of Civic Nebraska, which led the state’s first kid governor initiative, called the moment a milestone and said Nebraska now joins states of Connecticut, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Vermont in a growing national program inspired by the Connecticut Democracy Center.
“In a moment when many adults feel cynical or weary about democracy, these students reminded us of what that can look like at its best — hopeful, earnest, active, and future-oriented,” Pancharoen said.
Personal campaign platform
Charlie, a student in teacher Benjamin Billesbach’s social studies class, won the statewide election after hundreds of fifth-graders from 22 schools viewed campaign videos, listened to candidate ideas and cast ballots from Nov. 3 -12.
Calling out cancer as an issue important to young people, Charlie, daughter of Jennifer and Charles Couch, outlined steps students could take in their own schools and communities.
She told the audience that cancer awareness was important to her because her two older sisters’ dad died of cancer when they were little. Charlie was not yet born but said she hears her mom and sisters talk about the experience.
Resources that helped them at the time — and that Charlie gave shoutouts to during her speech — were Hope Lodge of Omaha and Camp Kesem, a free overnight summer camp run by volunteers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for youths whose parents have grappled with cancer.
“Since a lot of kids whose parents have been affected by cancer have to grow up too fast to help their family,” she said. “Camp Kesem is a place for kids to just be kids.”
Charlie wants to help raise funds and to spread the word about those and other support services.
“This victory is not just mine,” she told fellow students at a November school assembly that was broadcast online for a larger audience. “It belongs to every fifth grader in Nebraska who wants to make a real difference in our state.”
Kid governor cabinet
The kid governor and her cabinet will work also with the nonprofit Civic Nebraska and community partners to activate their platforms and give a student voice to statewide initiatives.
Charlie’s cabinet and their platforms: Alma White of Laurel Elementary in Laurel, providing bare necessities for students; Eila Rohlfsen of Trinity Lutheran School in Fremont, creating kindness at schools; Kenzlie Reed of Neihardt Elementary in Millard, creating recycling campaigns; Reid Maulsby of Ravenna Elementary in Ravenna, student health programs; Will Milliken of Paddock Road Elementary in Omaha, making play spaces cleaner and safer, and Victoria Vargas of St. Gerald Catholic School in Ralston, the dangers of feeding wildlife.
“This first group of Nebraska Kid Governor finalists blew all of us away with their thoughtfulness, their empathy, and their determination to improve the world around them,” said Juan Milan, Civic Nebraska’s Youth Civic Leadership Programs Manager.
Created by the Connecticut Democracy Center, the kid governor program is a national civics initiative. This year marks Nebraska’s debut in the program, but Pancharoen said her team began laying the groundwork three years ago and found “unbridled enthusiasm” among students in fifth-grade social studies classrooms.
She said the idea is to treat civics not as abstract but as something “lived and shared, even at age 10 and 11.”
The program introduced the students to civic life through a hands-on experience that mirrors real democratic participation: learning about state government, identifying community issues, developing three-point platforms, recording campaign videos, engaging in classroom primaries, and voting in a statewide election for Kid Governor, said Civic Nebraska.
Charlie said she was eager to figure out what she and her cabinet would focus on “and have some fun along the way.” She thinks she’ll host a dinner to discuss next steps with her team.
“Just think of all that we can accomplish together,” she said, wrapping up her talk. “Let’s get to work, Nebraska.”
‘Sheets of Hope’
Nebraska’s youth poet laureate, Victoria Bogatz, a senior at Bellevue East High School, served Tuesday as emcee at Nebraska’s first ‘kid governor’ swearing-in ceremony. She wrote an original poem for the occasion titled, ‘Sheets of Hope.’
I see you.
bright eyes shining forward
loud love pushing outward
refusing to believe
that caring is a sin.
I was you.
determined and active
with my blond ponytail
and endless ideas.
I didn’t think so at the time
but they were all
worthwhile
every single one.
even though
they told me like they’ll tell you
that the fabric will fall
the funding will drain
the plans will break
don’t give that a second thought.
keep your pockets full
of sheets of hope
keep your aspirations flying
until they break the horizon
keep this world turning
with your work.
I’ll shout it from the rooftops–
you deserve every celebration
every folded letter
and landline call
is for you
let them come through
let yourself believe.
let all of us
watch you succeed.
