Cherry blossoms might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about New Hampshire, but some do grow here – notably, in Portsmouth.

Hancock also now has a place in New Hampshire’s cherry blossom lore, as resident Sarah Hull was selected by the NH State Society of Washington, D.C., to serve as the state’s delegate in the Cherry Blossom Program. The week-long program, run by the National Conference of State Societies (NCSS), dates back to 1948 and is held every year in Washington, D.C., and gives young women ages 19 to 24 the opportunity to represent their state in a range of cultural and networking events, Hull explained.

This year’s program was scheduled to start Monday and continue through Friday.

“I’m really looking forward to networking with all of the people I’m going to meet,” Hull  said. “By virtue of it being a very developed program, having been around for so long, we really kind of get the insider experience, if you will.”

Part of that “insider experience” includes what Hull described as a “congressional event” where delegates get the chance to meet and network with members of Congress. Hull has already met her fair share of members of Congress – as a junior in high school, she was a page for U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, which was interrupted by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That was an interesting experience, to say the least,” Hull said.

During her senior year of high school, she worked as an intern for U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster. Serving on Kuster’s Task Force to End Sexual Violence gave her the opportunity to do research which has “sparked a whole career trajectory for me, related to women’s rights and a focus on gender-based violence,” she said.

Early on in her college career, Hull also had the opportunity to intern for U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan.

“I have adored working with Jeanne Shaheen, Annie Kuster and Maggie Hassan,” Hull said. “As a young woman who’s interested in politics and the political world, it has been really nice to have these really strong female role models in the New Hampshire congressional delegation.”

Currently, as a rising senior at the University of New Hampshire, Hull is doing an internship for the Women of the Peace Corps Legacy, where she continues to do work related to women and girls empowerment. It was at UNH that she first learned about the Cherry Blossom Program through the NH State Society’s school liaison, who urged her to apply for the program.

Hull noted that it can sometimes be difficult to find a delegate to represent New Hampshire.

“I submitted my application in January,” she said. “It took them a while to get back to me; to be perfectly honest, I didn’t think I was going to hear from them because it took so long. So it was a very pleasant surprise to hear from them.”

The final event of the program is a formal gala, during which a Cherry Blossom Queen and runner-up are selected – by the spin of a wheel, “so no politics are involved,” Hull said. The Cherry Blossom Queen receives an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan.

The Cherry Blossom program began in 1948 as a way to bolster relations between the United States and Japan. According to the NCSS website, it is an education and cultural exchange program for young women from across the United States and around the globe to come together and network. Participants are selected based on their academic achievement, exceptional poise and appearance, excellent interpersonal communication skills, leadership and interest in social, civic, community and world affairs with a strong desire to serve others through community service.

During the program, Hull will visit the Japanese and Lithuanian embassies in Washington D.C., and have the opportunity to meet public officials. Past delegates have met with former first lady Laura Bush, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Red Cross President and CEO Dr. Bernadine Healy.

“I’m really looking forward to making those connections,” Hull said.