Potomac Student Chosen for U.S. Senate Youth Program

The Virginia Department of Education has announced the selection of two Virginia students to participate in the 63rd Annual U.S. Senate Youth Program. Kasim Khapra, a senior at The Potomac School in McLean, Va., will join another Virginia high schooler to represent their state as a delegate to the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). 

The students were selected by a panel of judges who evaluated the pool of top students nominated by principals and school heads throughout the state. Both will receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study, and they will represent the Commonwealth in an intensive, weeklong leadership development experience in Washington, D.C., this spring. 

Khapra is currently serving his second term as student body president, where he created the school’s AI Student Committee. He is also the founder of the nonprofit MyPy Coding, which matches second through eighth graders with high school volunteers for free, online coding lessons. For this, he received a Teen Character Award from the McLean Citizens Association. Most recently, Khapra interned on the paid media analytics team for Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign.

To be considered for the program, students must be engaged in high-level elected or appointed  leadership positions. Delegates will get the opportunity to experience their national government in action, hearing major policy addresses by senators and cabinet members and participating in meetings with the president and a U.S. Supreme Court justice. 

"Kasim's dedication to the principles of civic duty and leadership is extraordinary," Head of School John Kowalik stated. "The United States Senate Youth Program has rightly honored his accomplishments, and I trust he will make the most of this opportunity to deepen his understanding of government and democracy."

The scholarships are provided by the Hearst Foundations, which has fully funded the program since its creation in 1962. More than 6,000 students have participated, including several well-known politicians. For more information, visit the U.S. Senate Youth Program website.