Senior chosen to get inside look at how Washington works
Allison McVey one of only 104 students chosen nationwide
COLLEGEVILLE » Spring-Ford Area High School senior Allison Elizabeth McVey has been chosen to be one of only 104 students nationwide to participate in the United
States Senate Youth Program in March.
She will join Danika Grieser of Doylestown, along with Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators, Robert P. Casey and Patrick J. Toomey, in representing Pennsylvania during the program’s 60th annual Washington Week held March 6 through 9.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 2022 program will be held online.
During the program week, the student delegates will attend online meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, among others.
In addition to the program week, The Hearst Foundations provide each student with a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs.
All expenses for Washington Week are also provided by
The Hearst Foundations; as stipulated in S.Res.324, no government funds are utilized.
McVey serves as the vice president of her senior class at Spring-Ford.
She also serves as the student representative to the Spring-Ford Area School Board, president of her school’s Junior Statesmen of America chapter, and managing editor of the Rampage Student Newspaper.
She enjoys competing with the Spring-Ford girls’ soccer team and the Spring-Ford Academic Team, as well as serving on the student ambassador task force of U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-4th District.
McVey also interns with the U.S. Department of State and serves on the executive board of the High School Democrats of Pennsylvania. She intends to study political science before attending law school, and hopes to pursue a career in education policy and public service.
The program was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 and has been sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by The Hearst Foundations since inception. The impetus for the program as stated in Senate testimony is “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, learn the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and emphasize the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.
Each year this competitive merit-based program provides the most outstanding high school students — two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity — with an intensive weeklong study of the federal government and the people who lead it.
The overall mission of the program is to help instill within each class of student delegates more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service.
In addition to leadership abilities and a commitment to volunteer work, the student delegates rank academically in the top one percent of their states among high school juniors and seniors.
Now more than 6,000 strong, alumni of the program continue to excel and develop impressive qualities that are often directed toward public service.
Among the many distinguished alumni are: Senator Susan Collins, the first alumnus to be elected U.S. senator; Secretary of
Transportation and former mayor of South Bend Indiana, Pete Buttigieg; former Senator Cory Gardner, the second alumnus to be elected U.S. senator and the first to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the first alumnus to be elected governor; former Chief Judge Robert Henry, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; former Ambassador to West Germany Richard Burt, former presidential advisors Thomas “Mack” McLarty and Karl Rove.