​MEDIA CONTACT: Meghan Frick, GaDOE Communications Office, mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us

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March 1, 2024 – Today, the Georgia Department of Education announced the students selected as Georgia’s delegates and alternates to the 2024 United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP).

Mr. Jackson Bost (Madison County High School, Madison County Charter School System) and Ms. Viveka Mehrotra (North Oconee High School, Oconee County Schools) were selected as this year’s delegates. In addition, Ms. Miranda Johnson (Harrison High School, Cobb County School District) and Mr. Luke Netto (Milton High School, Fulton County Schools) were selected as alternates.

“Congratulations to our Georgia delegates and alternates. I am extremely proud of our students selected to represent Georgia through the United States Senate Youth Program, and I am confident they will be outstanding ambassadors for our state,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “Good citizenship is a responsibility of all Americans; therefore, it is essential that educators encourage students to engage in activities that expand their civic knowledge and skills.” 

Each year, the USSYP brings the most outstanding high school students – two from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity – to Washington, D.C. for an intensive weeklong study of the federal government and the people who lead it. During the program week, the student delegates will attend meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a Supreme Court justice, and cabinet agencies’ leaders, among others.

The program’s overall mission is to help instill within each class of USSYP student delegates more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service. Georgia’s delegates will join a 104-student delegation and receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.

The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962, has been sponsored by the Senate, and has been fully funded by The Hearst Foundations since its inception.

In addition to outstanding leadership abilities and a solid commitment to volunteer work, all USSYP student delegates rank academically in the top one percent of their state’s high-school juniors and seniors.

Delegates:

Jackson Bost is a Madison County High School senior and serves as the National Honor Society president. His responsibilities include conducting meetings, liaising between scholars and sponsors, and coordinating and leading service projects throughout the year. Bost aims for members to work with their hearts instead of their hands and for the organization’s service projects to leave a genuine and lasting impact. Outside of school, Bost works with Operation Christmas Child, a group that sends toys, clothes, and school supplies to underserved children worldwide. Bost also organized a Mental Health Awareness Walk for Pilot Club that offered resources and raised money for those with mental illnesses and disorders.

Viveka Mehrotra is a North Oconee High School senior and serves on the Oconee County Schools Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Mehrotra also served on the Georgia School Boards Association’s Youth Advisory Council during her sophomore year. She believes that civic responsibility and engagement go together; cultivating one leads to the blossoming of the other. Mehrotra is interested in local, state, and national politics and belongs to several student civic organizations. She is also passionate about technology and believes it can be used to civically engage youth. This manifested when her team won the 2022-23 Congressional App Challenge for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District. Earlier this year, Mehrotra received the Daughters of the American Revolution Youth Citizenship Medal.

Alternates:

Miranda Johnson is a resident of Acworth and attends Harrison High School of Cobb County School District.

Luke Netto is a resident of Milton and attends Milton High School of Fulton County Schools.

Please visit the GaDOE USSYP Excellence Recognition webpage for more information.