For a high school senior, Mercer Martin has a storied political career.

For starters, she is the only Purcell High School student ever to advance to Girls Nation while attending Girls State.

And she did it by tossing her hat in the ring multiple times and emerging each time as the winner once the votes were counted.

Not a complete political novice, she also spent a week as a page in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

On arriving at Girls State, she was first elected mayor of her city. And it wasn’t long before she declared herself a candidate for state representative.

“I was the only one with an opponent,” she said.

Once in the Legislature, she reveled in arguing the merits of this bill or that and following parliamentary procedure and Roberts Rules of Order..

She authored a resolution that passed both the House and Senate. It was the only resolution not vetoed when it reached the governor’s desk.

It was “cool,” she recalled to see her part in all of it.

As part of Girls State, all 240-plus participants were tested on general knowledge about government.

Martin was among the top four scorers.

The girls were then divided into four groups of 60 and the top scorers visited each group individually where they were questioned extensively on whatever topics the groups wanted.

“I got everything,” Martin recalled.

Included among everything were such far-ranging queries as medical marijuana, foster care and the COVID crisis among Native Americans.

When all four had visited with every group, the groups voted to rank each speaker. Martin and Joyce Yang of Bartlesville emerged as the top two, earning spots in Girls Nation.

They traveled to Washington, D.C., in July, spending a week in the nation’s capital.

Martin ran against three other girls for the post of Senate chaplain. Her winning ways continued and she was elected to the office.

Her message, delivered through prayer, was unity with a focus on faith – so much better than discord for the nation.

The delegates were able to walk on the Mall and visit all of the memorials.

“The Vietnam Memorial was probably my favorite,” she said.

In addition to Girls State and Girls Nation, she also attended Leadership Oklahoma Youth and RYLA.

Back in Purcell, Martin is fully immersed in enjoying her senior year.

She is active in Student Council at Purcell High School and is senior class president. She is also a water girl for the football team.

Martin is also a member of National Honor Society and the academic team

After high school, she wants to attend a four-year college and earn a bachelor’s degree in either business or political science. Then she hopes to attend law school, possibly at the University of Oklahoma.

“OU Law School is very good,” she said.

Martin was born in New York City and lived there until second grade.

The family then moved to Oklahoma City, staying five years, followed by three years in London. They moved to Purcell where she enrolled as a sophomore.

In London, she took up the sport of competitive rowing.

In 2021, she qualified for Nationals, finishing in the Top 20 for her 17 and under age bracket.

Rowing demanded time and dedication. Two to three hours practice six days a week. Crews became like family.

“It’s a really fun sport,” she said.

Martin said there was a bit of culture shock moving from London to Purcell, but she quickly fell in love with the sense of community

She is the daughter of Faith Ann Martin, who worked as a lobbyist on Capital Hill.

Her grandparents are  Tom and Pat Martin.

She has two younger siblings who also attend Purcell High School.

Devan is a sophomore and plays football. McKenna, a freshman, is active in TSA and films football games.

Her efforts to interest her brother in Boys State, however, have been unproductive.

Martin is also encouraging McKenna to apply for Girls State when she is older, along with a couple of sophomores she is mentoring.

“If more people knew what it was, more people would want to go,” she said.