Cleveland HS student visits D.C. under competitive U.S. Senate program

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cleveland High School student Faith Young is not old enough to be a United States senator, but she recently got a taste of what it is like to be one under a program meant to teach young people like her about the inner workings of the federal government.

Young, a senior, traveled to Washington, D.C., March 7-14, with 104 high school students from around the nation who were selected as delegates to the United States Senate Youth Program. The program, founded through a 1962 U.S. Senate resolution, allows students to meet with senators, White House officials and justices of the U.S. Supreme Court while providing them a $10,000 college scholarship to encourage them to study government, history or public affairs.

“Yes, (the program) was a bird’s-eye view, but we still were getting such great advice on how to just be great people, not just great politicians — and that was really helpful,” Young said.

She noted that her fellow New Mexico delegate was Las Cruces High School student Margaret Collins, who was nominated by U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján to the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy, respectively. 

In a joint statement, Heinrich and Lujan called Young and Collins “exceptional young leaders” who have shown “remarkable leadership and dedication, sharing the challenges facing their communities and their future goals.”

Heinrich and Luján, in part, cited  “Faith’s commitment to bettering her community through public service” which they believe highlights a “determination to make a real difference in the world.”

“Programs like the U.S. Senate Youth Scholarship help inspire future leaders by giving students a firsthand look at our government,” Heinrich and Luján stated. “Experiencing Washington up close gives students a chance to engage with policymakers, witness democracy in action, and build lasting connections with peers from across the nation.”

In an email, program coordinator Warman Hall described Young and Collins as “exceptional examples of the type of young leader that (the Senate Youth Program) exists to highlight.”

Hall added that both students “exhibited a strong presence in our finalist round of the competition by speaking well on current events and showing a well-practiced leadership style.”

Young, secretary of her senior class and leader of Cleveland’s speech and debate team, said that when she applied to the program, she knew she wanted to “truly soak up … energy and leadership” it provided.

With dreams of becoming a public defender and potentially running for office, Young was delighted to be selected for the program, especially after she did not make the cut her sophomore year. She believes she was accepted after narrowing the focus of her application to creating a plan to prevent child exploitation on social media as well as addressing prison reform and criminal rehabilitation.

“My passion had a purpose to it rather than just a passion,” Young said. 

Once in D.C., Heinrich gave Young and Collins advice about their political aspirations. 

“The best piece of advice he gave me was that ‘When you think it’s your time, go for it — don’t wait. Too often, people spend their lives waiting for their turn when it’s their choice to make,’” Young said. 

She added that “Whether (Heinrich) knows it or not,” his advice “definitely did stick with me.”

Luján, meanwhile, asked Young and Collins questions about them.

“He wanted to know a lot about us,” Young said. “Not that (Luján) wasn’t inspiring — being able to meet him and  see how human he was compared to (speeches) on the Senate floor was really helpful. He told us if we ever need anything, always reach out.”

Beyond receptions and selfies with senators, Young and the delegation received tours of the White House, Pentagon and U.S. Supreme Court. While they did not meet President Donald Trump, they did get a question-and-answer period with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Hegseth spoke about his upbringing and his role in the Trump administration. The delegates asked Hegseth more about his role and Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Jackson told the delegates about herself before answering their questions, Young said. The delegates’ questions to Jackson — the first Black woman to sit on SCOTUS — included what advice she would give to women in color who want to pursue a career in government, as well as whether threats influence her decision-making.

Through all of her experiences in the program, Young said one of the take-home messages for her was simply that senators are people, too.

“We can oftentimes forget the fact — even when I was there,” she said. “Forgetting the fact that it’s not just ‘Sen. Heinrich’ or ‘Sen. Lujan,’ but it’s also Martin and Ben. Being able to see them in their human form — even when they are supposed to have that class — helps remind us that, even when we have our own moments of distress, it is OK because everyone is human at the end of the day.”