The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is pleased to announce that the state departments of education nationwide have begun their annual selection processes. Two Maine students will be selected to attend the Washington Week program March 4-11, 2023 and each will receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship. Each high school principal can nominate one student from their high school to be considered.
Students in Maine must submit their application and signed nomination via email to Beth Lambert, beth.lambert@maine.gov, no later than 11:59pm on October 14, 2022. All forms, requirements, and additional information can be found at on Maine’s U.S. Senate Youth Program website. More about the national program can be found on the National USSYP website.
The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 as stated in supporting Senate testimony from that year, “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationship of the three branches of government, the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and 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 brings 104 of America’s brightest high school juniors and seniors from every 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 its leaders. The state departments of education throughout the country select the students through a rigorous nomination and selection process. Each of the 104 student delegates will also receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship, with encouragement to continue coursework in history, government and public affairs. The Hearst Foundations have fully funded and administered the program since inception; as stipulated in S. Res. 324, no government funds are utilized.