Senior Jack Kelly Selected to Prestigious US Senate Youth Program
Harrison High School Senior, Jack Kelly, has been selected to participate in the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) during the 60th annual USSYP Washington Week, to be held March 6-9, 2022. This extremely competitive merit-based program provides two outstanding high school students from each state with an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. Each delegate receives a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.
The mission of the program is to instill a comprehensive and more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service.
Selected from among the state’s top student leaders, Jack will join Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, among other government leaders in the comprehensive, interactive education and leadership forum. Student delegates will attend online meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a Supreme Court justice, leaders of cabinet agencies, among others. The program will be held virtually this year.
Jack is proud to participate the program and reflected on his selection, “I am deeply honored to represent the great state of New York in the United States Senate Youth Program and I'm extremely grateful to everyone who helped me throughout the application process.”
At Harrison High School, Jack serves as co-editor of the newspaper, The Husky Herald, and competes as a member of the school’s Model Congress Team, where he has won multiple best delegate awards from Harvard, Princeton and Columbia competitions. He serves as the vice chairman of the Westchester County Youth Board, and is active in a many community and political organizations.
According to Harrison High School Principal Kimberly Beukema, “Jack makes the world a better place in the work he has done and in the work he continues to do for our school and larger community….he makes all of us believe that we can make the world a better place.”
Delegates and alternates are selected by the state departments of education and are confirmed by the chief state school officer. Betty A. Rosa, Commissioner of Education, confirmed the New York delegates this year. In addition to outstanding leadership abilities and a strong commitment to volunteerism, student delegates rank academically in the top one percent of their states among high school juniors and seniors. The USSYP program and scholarships are funded by The Hearst Foundations.