High School Juniors and Seniors: Interested In Public Service? Here’s Your Shot at a $10,000 Scholarship

BISMARCK, N.D., Sept. 2, 2025 - State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler on Tuesday encouraged North Dakota high school juniors and seniors to apply for the 2026 U.S. Senate Youth Program, which includes a $10,000 college scholarship.

The application deadline is midnight Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.

Two high school juniors or seniors from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense schools are chosen for the program each year. It includes the $10,000 scholarship and a "Washington Week" event, which will be held March 7-14, 2026.

The program focuses on public service, leadership, and education. Participants will hear speakers from the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal government and members of the national media.

Applicants are chosen according to their leadership qualities and ability to serve others in an elected or appointed student office during the entire school year. Applications are ranked and scored by a state selection committee.

The U.S. Senate Youth Program application process consists of completing a web-based form; writing a personal essay; submitting letters of support from others; and obtaining principal and parent signatures.

Students will be asked to write a persuasive essay addressing these questions: If you become a U.S. senator for North Dakota, what Senate committees would you most want to be assigned to, and why? What personal qualities would you bring to the job as a senator that would benefit North Dakota?

Students also must certify that they did not use artificial intelligence tools in preparing their materials. Additional details are posted on the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction's website.

Baesler said the program should appeal to students interested in leadership and public service.

"The $10,000 scholarship is attractive, and this program also gives young North Dakotans a chance to develop their leadership skills with a group of their peers from across the country," Baesler said. "It offers them experience in discussing and debating some of the most important issues our country faces with other young people who may hold beliefs much different from theirs."

The U.S. Senate Youth Programwas established in 1962 to offer a study and scholarship opportunity for outstanding high school students who were interested in public service careers. The $10,000 scholarship is funded by the Hearst Foundations, which were originally established by media mogul William Randolph Hearst.