United States Senate Youth Program

Last night marked the 63rd Annual United States Senate Youth Program Senate Reception. We thank the 76 United States Senators who prioritized this event amid their hectic schedules, meeting with their state delegates. We are deeply grateful to the Senators and their staff for investing in the next generation of public servants.

We are delighted to have welcomed the 104 delegates to Washington for an unforgettable week immersing themselves in the three branches of government. The delegates have met with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, NASA astronauts, alum Brian Kamoie, Senator Jeanne Shaheen and many more public servants who exemplify the ideals of our democracy. We thank these leaders for their time and investment in the next generation.

We are thrilled to share that the delegate class for #USSYP2025 has been selected. We look forward to meeting these 104 passionate and dedicated young leaders for an unforgettable week, learning and growing together as public servants. We thank all those students who applied for the program this Fall, and allocated many hours to the process, and we wish you all the best in your pursuit of public service.

The Hearst Foundations announced today that Washington Bureau Chief of Hearst Television Wendy Wilk has been named program director of the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), succeeding Rayne Guilford, who will retire after successfully serving in the position since 2006. Wendy will begin in the role in January 2025. We are excited for this next chapter of the program. We look forward to welcoming Wendy, alongside Rayne, for the 2025 Washington Week, prior to Rayne’s retirement next spring. For more information, please see the full press release.

Dear USSYP community, ? We share today that our long-standing Program Director Rayne Guilford has made the decision to retire after the 2025 program year. We are grateful to Rayne for her decades of service and her commitment to excellence in leading this program. She will be deeply missed by all. ? As we look forward to the next chapter of the program, we would appreciate your sharing the attached opportunity with your networks, should you know any talented potential candidates who would be interested in assuming the role of Program Director. ? We request that candidates please send a resume and a cover letter explaining their interest in the Program Director role and why they would be the optimal candidate to Donna Lagani, Eastern Director at: [email protected] with USSYP APPLICANT as the subject. Thank you for your ongoing support of USSYP! ?

The United States Senate Youth Program would like to thank President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden for an extraordinary event at the White House last week:?a private live Watch Party for the State of the Union capped off by personal appearances and congratulations as soon as they returned from Capitol Hill.?In a program first, the student delegates were hosted in the East Room with big screens and snacks, and engaged with additional speakers including White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and director of the Office of Public Engagement and senior advisor to the president Mayor Stephen Benjamin. A night to remember forever for America’s future leaders.