Applications are now open for the 2024 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), a merit-based program that takes the most outstanding high school students from around the country to Washington, D.C., for a weeklong study of the federal government and the people who lead it.
Two Kentucky high school students will be selected this fall as delegates and will each receive a $10,000 college scholarship in the name of the U.S. Senate, with encouragement to continue coursework in history, government and public affairs.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) oversees the selection process of two students to be part of the national 104-student USSYP delegation.
Students will attend Washington Week – scheduled for March 2-9, 2024 – and participate in meetings and briefings with high-level officials from each branch of federal government, including senators, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, other key policymakers and senior members of the media.
Applications for the 2024 USSYP program are available online and are due Oct. 2.
Applicants should be interested in pursuing careers in public service and have proven records of leadership, scholarship and volunteer service. Students will need to submit a transcript, two letters of recommendation and a resume as part of the application process.
Semifinalists will interview in Frankfort on Saturday, Nov. 4. KDE will announce the names of two USSYP delegates and two alternates representing Kentucky in December.
The U.S. Senate Youth Program was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 and has been sponsored by the Senate and funded by The Hearst Foundations. The 2024 program brochure with detailed rules and additional program details is available on the USSYP website.
For more information, email GlyptusAnn Grider Jones or call her at (502) 564-2000, ext. 4616.
