I just returned from an incredible week that I will forever remember. I met 103 like-minded individuals from all 50 states, heard from the leaders of our nation, and made friends and connections that will last for many years to come. The 2008 United States Senate Youth Program was an incredible experience that I will never forget. The William Randolph Hearst Foundation is an amazing organization – they made a huge investment in my life and in the lives of every other delegate, and I will be forever grateful. It is hard to list the greatest moments of the week, but there is no doubt that they would include meeting the President, hearing from Robert Gates, and seeing 60 Senators in just two hours. The experience is still surreal to me, but I will do my best to give a re-cap, as brief as I can possibly make it.

My week began with a flight delay on Saturday, March 1, as I left Bismarck. I didn’t arrive in Washington, D.C. until 9:00 that night, spending nearly 12 hours in transit. I met up with a few delegates, but I didn’t get to do meet most of the others until the next day. We were split up into groups of 6 to 8, and each group had one Military Mentor. All of the Military Mentors were remarkable individuals from all branches of the Military. It was amazing to hear the stories of these honorable men and women as I spoke with them throughout the week. My group’s Mentor, Captain David Schulz, actually left for Iraq today. See Military Mentors below.

Sunday began with a preview of what the entire week would be like. Formal atmospheres and incredible settings would characterize every three course meal at the Mayflower Hotel where we stayed. We ate this particular Sunday morning breakfast in the Grand Ballroom, and at the end we took the official 2008 USSYP photograph in the same room. After the picture was taken by our photographer, Jakub Mosur, who would follow us throughout the week and take over 10,000 pictures, we boarded the coaches.

The program director, Rayne Guilford, made Sunday into slower day of tours so that we would be able to adjust to our surroundings. On Monday we awoke and had breakfast in the Colonial Room of the Mayflower. We heard from Robert H. Henry, the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and a USSYP alumnus. We then boarded the buses and headed to the Russell Senate Office Building in the Caucus Room to hear from Nancy Erickson, Secretary of the Senate, and Alan Frumin, the Chief Parliamentarian of the Senate. Both gave insight into how the Senate works and how it differs from the House. We walked to the Library of Congress at 12:00 and had lunch in the James Madison Memorial Building’s Montpelier Room where we listened to James H. Billington, a remarkable man who has been the Librarian of Congress for over 20 years. We arrived at the US Supreme Court later that afternoon to tour the building, and then hear William K. Suter, the Clerk of the Supreme Court. I asked Mr. Suter a question along the lines of his feelings on how politicized the nomination process has become over the years. He responded by noting that liberal justices like Ginsburg were approved unanimously while conservative justices like Alito faced stiff opposition. We headed back to the hotel and then listened to the Joint Armed Forces Color Guard and the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Senator Jon Tester of Montana spoke to us about becoming a Senator after dinner.

Tuesday arrived and we had breakfast in the Colonial Room once again, and this time we heard from Brian W. Fitzgerald, a lobbyist and partner in Bingham McCutchen LLP. We boarded the buses at 10:30 and went to the Department of State. Security kept us waiting outside the building for about a half hour, but we were finally let in and on the 8^th floor we were allowed to break out the cameras. The 8^th floor of the State Department is reserved for foreign dignitaries, and it shows. It is decorated in colonial style with incredible artifacts and furniture, including the desk on which the Treaty of Paris was signed. We ate a $180 dollar dinner in the Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room and heard from Jeffrey Bergner, the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, along with Ambassador John D. Negroponte, the Deputy Secretary of State. Negroponte was a fascinating speaker and he shared his insights on how he believes the global political atmosphere will change in the coming years. We then headed for the Capitol and toured the building along with the Gallery of the US Senate. After we returned to the Mayflower Hotel, Dana Gioia, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts spoke to us and gave a conservative insight into the funding of the NEA. Dinner took place at 7:00 in the Grand Ballroom, where Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas spoke about a variety of topics ranging from the Farm Bill to his small town beginnings. Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte below.

We got up a half hour earlier than normal on Wednesday, and for good reasons. This would be the day that we would meet with the President of the United States. We had no speaker during the breakfast, so we were able to get an early start to the day by boarding the coaches at 8:00 AM. We entered the White House after watching the President’s motorcade leave the area. I knew he would have to come back, though, since we were scheduled to meet him at 2:30. After touring the White House, we went to the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and then back to the Grand Ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel where we heard from His Excellency Pierre Vimont, the Ambassador of France to the United States. Vimont kept his speech short, nothing that we had a somewhat important meeting ahead of us. We boarded the buses for the trip of a lifetime at 1:30, and made it onto the White House back lawn by 1:50. We stood for 40 minutes waiting for the main man himself, President George W. Bush.

We were asked to stop our chatter at about 2:25, and with the sun shining brightly in my eyes I caught sight of the President himself walking towards us from my right. As he got closer, the moment became more and more surreal. Moments later, he was just feet in front of me. He talked about leadership, and asked if there was a President in our group. He also spoke about his soon-to-be married daughter, and joked that he was watching Father of the Bride to prepare himself. His speech had a message: you don’t have to be a politician to be a leader. You can talk to the lonely, feed the hungry, and teach children to read, and you will be a leader. . Since I was standing in the front row, I hoped for a hand shake. I didn’t get one, but I did get several moments of eye contact that I will never forget. After posing for a picture, President Bush walked in front of me as he made his way to the Executives of the Hearst Foundation. After shaking their hands, he turned and waved one more time and it was all over. It was incredible being so close to the President and it was a great moment that I will always remember.

We walked off the White House property and boarded the coaches, now headed for yet another amazing journey, this time at the Russell Senate Office Building. We once again gathered in the Caucus Room and lined up according to state to make the greeting with our Senators more efficient. I stood at the front of my line and got 180 or so pictures and lots of video footage as the Senators walked in. 60 Senators showed up, an incredible number for a two hour time frame. They included Senator Kerry, Dodd, Enzi, Bennett, Stevens, Craig, Hagel, Coleman, Carper, Crapo, Baucus, Sununu, Gregg, Thune, Isakson, Inhofe, Landrieu, Collins, Mikulski, Casey, Cornyn, Snowe, Akaka, Bayh, Klobuchar, and many more. My Senators, Dorgan and Conrad, did not show up, but I did meet John Kerry. After all was said and done, it was another truly amazing experience for me to see so many Senators in person in just a few hours.

Thursday came and with two huge events behind us, we moved on to hear from the CEO of C-SPAN Brian Lamb during breakfast. Lamb neglected the podium and instead chose to mingle in the crowd while he asked us about our favorite moments of the week so far. After the speech, I shook hands with Mr. Lamb and was able to thank him for his time. After touring the “Newseum”, we went to the Russell Senate Office Building once again – this time to hear from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Sherrod Brown. After finishing lunch, Senator Mitch McConnell, leader of the GOP in the Senate, walked into the room and gave a brief speech before exiting. Senator Harry Reid was forced to cancel, was replaced by Dick Durbin who cancelled, and Durbin was replaced by Sherrod Brown. After hearing from Senator Brown, we boarded the buses and headed to the Kennedy Center, and then toured the building. We stayed at the Kennedy Center that evening to see the National Symphony Orchestra. CEO of C-SPAN Brian Lamb below:

On the final day in Washington, we had our final breakfast in the Colonial Room and then boarded the coaches for the Pentagon. After touring the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke to us and answered questions. We had lunch at the Pentagon and then heard from Sergeant Major Thomas McMurtrie. Since the President decided to visit the Pentagon that day, we had to wait in the exit area for 30 minutes before boarding the coaches. Joe Riley, a delegate from Tennessee gave an extremely moving and heartfelt speech, and the flag folding began at 8:00, followed by speeches from “Dino” Dinovitz and Anissa Balson, great-granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst.

It is difficult to put into words what I experienced last week. It was exciting not only to meet with the leaders of the country, but also to meet all of the other delegates. We all had one common interest - politics. There was great spirited debate among our group, and it kept things interesting. It’s difficult trying to adjust to everyday life after experiencing a full week of distinguished speakers and formal dinners, but I have come out of the program inspired to be a leader.