Washington, D.C. – Senators Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi are encouraging Wyoming youth to expand their horizons and apply for the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). The program has begun its statewide selection process to pick two Wyoming students to join 102 other delegates next March 4 through March 11, 2006 for the program's 44rd Annual Washington Week.

"This program is one of the best ways for a student to learn about our nation, and take a first-hand look at the day-to-day operations of the government. The Senate is an incredible institution, bound by tradition and we look forward to sharing our nation’s capitol with these two exceptional students," Thomas and Enzi said.

Interested students in Wyoming should contact their high school principal. This program brings two students annually from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity to Washington to experience an intensive week long governmental study. USSYP is fully funded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation- -no government funds are utilized.

The application deadline in the state of Wyoming is October 3, 2005. Names of students selected will be announced mid-December. The delegate selection is administered by each state's chief school officer in cooperation with high school principals. Delegates must be junior or senior elected student officers for the 2004-2005 academic year and reside in the state where they attend school. Eligibility considerations may be made for student representatives elected or selected (selected by a panel, commission or board) to district, regional or state-level civic or educational organizations.

Each of the 104 student delegates will receive a $5,000 college scholarship, in addition to the all-expenses paid trip to the nation's capital. The student delegates will visit Capitol Hill, the White House, the Pentagon, State Department, Supreme Court and other highlights in Washington. They will meet with Senators, cabinet officers, government leaders and policy-makers.

Each student must be a permanent resident of the United States and currently enrolled in a public or private secondary school located in the state (including for these purposes the District of Columbia) in which either one of his or her parents or guardians legally resides. Exceptions to the residency rule are made for the Department of Defense Education Activity and for states with schools under Interstate Compacts.

Since application deadlines vary by state, interested students in Wyoming should contact their high school principal or the selection administrator listed below:

Ms. Kathryn Lind
Parent Liaison
Wyoming Department of Education
Hathaway Building
2300 Capitol Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0050
(307) 777-3320
klind@educ.state.wy.us

More than 4,300 students have participated in this unique leadership program.

Last year's participants were Miriah Dobbs of Cheyenne and Andrew Henley of Thermopolis.