NWR Students Selected to Senate Youth Program Northwest Rankin High School (Rankin County School District) students Joshua Bowman and Nadia Harden were selected to the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) and joined Sen. Roger F. Wicker and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in representing Mississippi during the 61st Annual USSYP Washington Week in March. Bowman and Harden are both residents of Brandon and finished their senior year. They were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation. Each delegate also receives a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study. The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 and has been sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by The Hearst Foundations since inception. Originally proposed by Senators Kuchel, Mansfield, Dirksen and Humphrey, the Senate leadership of the day, the impetus for the program, as stated in Senate testimony is “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 more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment School Focus
Nadia Harden
Joshua Bowman
to public service.
recycling program and canned food drive.
In addition to the program week, The
He also organized STEM exposure events
Hearst Foundations provide each student
for elementary students in his school
with a $10,000 undergraduate college
zone. Bowman plans to pursue a degree in
scholarship with encouragement to con-
chemical engineering, ultimately working
tinue coursework in government, history
in infrastructure or climate policy.
and public affairs. All expenses for Wash-
Harden served as president of both
ington Week are provided by The Hearst
the National French Honor Society and
Foundations; as stipulated in S.Res.324, no
the Model United Nations. She was also
government funds are utilized.
a member of National Honor Society and
Bowman served as the Mu Alpha Theta
National English Honor Society.
(Mathematics High School Honor Society)
Outside of school, Harden is involved
president. Additionally, he served as the
with her church and its service min-
chapter president of Sociedad Honoraria
istries, serving as the leader of the au-
Hispánica, the Student Government exec-
dio-visual team and as one of the overall
utive secretary, the National Honor Society
youth leaders. She helps plan events in
vice president, and the Beta Club secretary.
different programs and volunteers in her
Bowman is a National Merit Semifinalist
church’s monthly food program which
and captained the robotics team.
serves 600 families.
He is an avid trombonist, serving as
Last summer Harden participated in
section leader in his school’s Cougar Bands
a six-week State Department program
and a member of the Mississippi All-State
to study the Korean language in Seoul
Band on tenor trombone. Each year, Bow-
through the National Security Language
man arranged his school’s involvement in
Initiative for Youth scholarship. She plans
the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign,
to pursue a career in the State Department
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Fall 2023
