09.12.16

Hoeven, Heitkamp Encourage North Dakota Students to Apply for U.S. Senate Youth Program

Students Will Spend a Week in Washington, Win $10,000 Scholarship

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp today encouraged North Dakota students to apply for the 2017 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), which will be held March 4-11, 2017.

Each year, this competitive, merit-based program brings 104 of the most outstanding high school students – two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity – to Washington, D.C., for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. Additionally, each student will receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship.

“The U.S. Senate Youth Program provides a unique and valuable opportunity for high school students to learn firsthand about the federal government and public service,” said the senators in a joint statement. “We encourage all eligible North Dakota students to apply to be part of this prestigious program.”

The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 to encourage public service and increase young Americans’ understanding of the three branches of government and the responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials. Since that time, more than 5,000 students have participated in this unique leadership program. The program is sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by The Hearst Foundations – no government funds are utilized.

The student delegates will visit Capitol Hill, the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the Supreme Court and other historic sites in Washington. The agenda routinely includes meetings with Senators, the President, Cabinet Secretaries, a Justice of the Supreme Court, senior members of the national media and other policymakers.

The delegate selection is administered by each state’s chief school officer in cooperation with high school principals. Delegates must be juniors or seniors, who have demonstrated leadership through public service in elected or appointed positions. They must be actively serving in a qualified leadership position for the entire 2016-2017 academic year. The application deadline for North Dakota students is October 14, 2017, and the selected students will be formally announced in mid-December.

Interested students in North Dakota should contact their high school principal or the state-level selection administrator listed below:

Ms. Patricia A. Laubach
Program Administrator
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Ph. (701) 328-4525
plaubach@nd.gov

The 2017 program brochure with detailed rules, selection process and the annual yearbook may be accessed on the USSYP website ussenateyouth.org.