The 59th anniversary of the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) will take place in March of 2021. For the past 59 years, two students per state have been selected to receive a $10,000 scholarship and attend a weeklong program in Washington D.C., funded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.

To apply for consideration in our state this year, a student must be a junior or senior and must hold an elected position in student council or school government. If students are unable to hold leadership positions this year due to the pandemic, they can submit the position they held during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Each student must complete the application form, the activities resume, submit a letter of recommendation from his/her activity advisor, and write a 250-word essay on a significant leadership trait. The applications will be reviewed by a selection committee and then the committee will select 15 finalists who will participate in the final selection process via Zoom on January 6, 2021. Finalists must be available this day in order to participate. 

The Washington winners will be announced in early February by our state senators’ offices. The winners will join other state winners for a virtual week in Washington, D.C. the week of March 15, 2021. Students must be able to attend all days of this virtual Washington Week. 

Visit the USSYP official website for more information.

Send all documents via mail or email to: 

Cris Sippel, AWSP, 1021 8th Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501, cris@awsp.org 

Applications must be received (via email) or postmarked by November 16, 2020.

For questions related to the application process or scholarship eligibility, email Cris Sippel at cris@awsp.org or call 800.562.6100.

Download the application.