A pair of Mississippi students have been selected to represent the Magnolia State at the 63rd annual U.S. Senate Youth Program Washington Week.
Gulfport natives Shayleen Moeini and Jackson Pearce will join Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, both Republicans from Mississippi, to represent the state at the event from March 1-8.
The two pupils will attend meetings with the senators, incoming President Donald Trump, a Supreme Court justice, members of the presidential cabinet, and other officials at the capitol. They will also be given $10,000 in scholarships.
Moeini, a St. Patrick Catholic High School senior, serves as the president of the National Honor Society and vice president of the Student Council. She plans to study biology and policy at Columbia University.
Pearce, a Gulfport High School senior, serves as a representative on the Mississippi Department of Education Student Advisory Council and president of Youth Legislature and Model UN. He plans to double major in aerospace engineering and public policy at the University of Alabama or major in public policy at Yale University.
“I congratulate Shayleen and Jackson for being selected to be part of this competitive program,” Wicker said. “They deserve this opportunity. Both students have demonstrated commitment to community service, extracurricular activities, and their studies. I have no doubt they will represent our state well.”
“I offer my most sincere congratulations to Shayleen and Jackson for being selected to represent Mississippi as part of this prestigious program,” Hyde-Smith added. “Their hard work, dedication to academics, student government involvement, and community service have truly set them apart. I am confident they will represent our state with distinction, and I look forward to meeting them.”
Alternates to the 2025 program are Simpson Academy student Braden Overby and Jackson Prep student Lindan Garner.
The Mississippi State Department of Education selected the Mississippi delegates and alternates from students nominated by teachers and principals. The chief state school officer for each jurisdiction confirms the final selection.
The U.S. Senate Youth Program was founded in 1962 by the sons of William Randolph Hearst and then-Senate leadership in response to the deep divisiveness and national anxiety following the Joseph McCarthy era.
They outlined a plan to encourage America’s most talented young people to consider public service as an important, life-long, and noble pursuit. As stated in the founding testimony, the program strives “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, the merit-based program provides two outstanding high school students 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.
In addition to the undergraduate college scholarship money, each student will be encouraged to continue coursework in government, history, and public affairs.
