Abhishek Narahari ’24 was one of two New Mexico students chosen for the 62nd Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), giving him the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. in March to attend meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a justice of the Supreme Court, and leaders of cabinet agencies.
The USSYP was created in 1962 “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, learn the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and emphasize the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.”
Each year, this extremely competitive merit-based program provides the most outstanding high school students – two from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity – with an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. The overall mission of the program is to help instill within each class of USSYP student delegates a more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service.
Abhishek serves as president of Albuquerque Academy’s Student Senate, treasurer of the city of Albuquerque Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, president of the Academy’s Model UN team, and news editor for the Advocate. He works as a social media manager for both New Mexico State Representative Marian Matthews and They See Blue, an Indian-American political advocacy group. During the 2022 election cycle, he worked on U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury’s re-election campaign. His volunteer work includes dozens of hours at a school for the hearing-impaired in Mysore, India, where he received an honorable mention in a local Kannada-language newspaper, appreciating his service.
Abhishek will attend Georgetown University and major in international relations, intending to seek a career in the Foreign Service or another field with an international focus.
Delegates are nominated by teachers and selected by the state departments of education nationwide. Program alumni include Senator Susan Collins, the first alumnus to be elected U.S. senator; Secretary of Transportation and former Mayor of South Bend Indiana Pete Buttigieg, the first alumnus to be appointed as a cabinet secretary; former Senator Cory Gardner, the second alumnus to be elected U.S. senator and the first to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the first alumnus to be elected governor; former Chief Judge Robert Henry, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; former Ambassador to West Germany Richard Burt; and former presidential advisors Thomas “Mack” McLarty and Karl Rove.
