Ballston Spa Student Participates in U.S. Senate Youth Program
Participants in the United States Senate Youth Program pose outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. in early March. Photo via the United States Senate Youth Program/Erin Lubin and Jakub Mosur.
BALLSTON SPA — Ben Skillings, a senior at Ballston Spa High School, was one of only two students in New York State to be a delegate at the 63rd annual United States Senate Youth Program, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gianleo Duca said during the district’s Mar. 19 school board meeting.
Duca said that Skillings met Senator Chuck Schumer, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and several astronauts.
“It was a fantastic learning experience for Ben,” Duca said. “We’re very proud of him. I just wanted to recognize and congratulate him on that wonderful achievement.”
The U.S. Senate’s Youth Program is described as a week-long educational experience and scholarship for outstanding high school students who are interested in pursuing careers in public service.
According to the program’s Facebook page, this year’s schedule included stops at George Washington’s home Mount Vernon, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the Library of Congress, Capitol Hill, the National Archives, the State Department, NASA Headquarters, and the White House.