From the United States
Senate Youth Program
Top Photo: Jeeah Kim was a product of the Autauga County School System, until her selection as a student for the Alabama School of Math and Science. She has been recognized in the past by the City of Prattville for her excellence, community service and academics.
The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is pleased to announce that high school students Jeeah Kim, of Prattville, and Gavin Keith Hewston of Selma will join Senator Tommy Tuberville and Senator Katie Britt in representing Alabama during the 63rd annual USSYP Washington Week, to be held March 1 — 8, 2025.
Jeeah and Gavin were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation that will attend meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, and other officials throughout the week. Each delegate will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.
Jeeah Kim, a senior at the Alabama School of Math and Science, serves as president of the Student Government, and is the chairwoman of its Initiatives Committee, which has raised $15,000 for the construction of a teen science research building and provides hands-on STEM tutoring for young children. Her belief in the transformative power of education and her love of storytelling guide her efforts in improving literary accessibility. As the Distinguished Young Woman of Autauga County, she has organized city-wide book drives to distribute free literary materials to community members. She is a Scholastic Gold Medal in Writing, two-time National Oratory Qualifier, Top-Ranked Orator in Alabama, and National Student Poet finalist. Jeeah is an alumna of the Reynolds Young Writers Workshop and is also the founder and president of the Students in Policy, Government, and Law Debate society. She plans to double major in economics and linguistics, and eventually become an attorney who helps to accurately represent suppressed narratives and amplify marginalized voices.
The USSYP was founded in 1962 by the sons of William Randolph Hearst and the senate leadership of the day — Senators Kuchel, Mansfield, Dirksen and Humphrey – in response to the deep divisiveness and national anxiety following the McCarthy era. They outlined a plan to encourage America’s most talented young people to consider public service as an important, life-long, and noble pursuit, sponsoring Senate Resolution 324, which passed unanimously. As stated in founding testimony, the program strives “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, learn the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and emphasize the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.”
Each year this extremely competitive merit-based program provides two outstanding high school students from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity with an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. Each student will also receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs. The Hearst Foundations have fully funded the program since inception; as stipulated, no government funds are utilized. (United State Senate Resolution 324)
Delegates and alternates are selected by the state departments of education nationwide and the District of Columbia and Department of Defense Education Activity, after nomination by teachers and principals. The chief state school officer for each jurisdiction confirms the final selection. This year’s Alabama delegates and alternates were designated by Eric G. Mackey, State Superintendent of Education.
In addition to outstanding leadership abilities and a strong commitment to volunteer work, the student delegates rank academically in the top one percent of their states among high school juniors and seniors. Now more than 6,200 strong, alumni of the program continue to excel and develop impressive qualities that are often directed toward public service. Among the many distinguished alumni are: Senator Susan Collins, the first alumnus to be elected U.S. senator; Secretary of Transportation and former Mayor of South Bend Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, the first alumnus to be appointed as a cabinet secretary; Representative Sarah McBride, the second alumnus to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; former Senator Cory Gardner, the second alumnus to be elected U.S. senator and the first to be elected to the U.S.House of Representatives, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the first alumnus to be elected governor.
Members of the U. S. Senate Youth Program 2025 annual Senate Advisory Committee are: Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, the 2025 USSYP Republican Co-Chair and Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the 2025 USSYP Democratic Co-Chair. The full USSYP Senate Advisory Committee includes the vice president of the United States and the Senate majority and minority leaders, and four senators from each party who lend their names in support. Serving on the 2025 Advisory Committee: Senator Susan M. Collins of Maine, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas, Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota and Senator Peter Welch of Vermont.
For more information please visit: www.ussenateyouth.org
