Troy High Student Selected for United States Senate Youth Program

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) has announced that Troy High senior Aanya Shah will join Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters in representing Michigan during the 62nd annual USSYP “Washington Program Week,” which will be held March 2 — 9, 2024. Shah was selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104-student national delegation (two from each state).

Each year this extremely competitive merit-based program provides its recipients with an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it, in the room (and city) where it happens. During Program Week student delegates will attend meetings and briefings in Washington DC with Senators, the President, Justices of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, and Pentagon officials, among others. Shah is most excited to meet President Biden, Michigan Senators Stabenow and Peters, and US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, as she will be attending Johns Hopkins University in the Fall of 2024 to pursue a public health degree on the pre-med track. “I hope to work within the public health field to combine my passions for policy, healthcare and leadership to maximize my impact on health policy,” said Shah. “And I will use my medical degree to make a real difference in how our government works to care for ALL people.”

Shah’s leadership resume is already impressive: she has served as the state president of the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) organization. In this capacity, she lobbied on Capitol Hill in support of the Perkins Act renewal, securing augmented funding for aspiring healthcare students, in addition to hosting 13 medical conferences for over 6,000 student members. She is also a National Youth Council member for UNICEF USA and has advocated at legislative offices for Congressional funding for UNICEF initiatives, increased mental health resources, and led the successful campaign to ban child marriage in Michigan. Leading the UNICEF Clubs program with thousands of volunteers, she provides strategic insight to advance the child rights agenda nationally through working directly with the CEO of UNICEF USA and national staff. On the State Council of Special Olympics, Aanya is a stalwart disability advocate who empowers youth with disabilities to participate in sports, amplifies their voices in community discourse, and supports significant fundraising and advocacy endeavors. Currently serving as co-president of her Superintendent Student Advisory Board, she leads several service projects, from planting 2,000 saplings to donating 2,500 blankets. As Sophomore and Junior Class president, she helped raise over $15,000 to support Oxford Schools and the Colts Fund for students in her local community.

As a USSYP Youth delegate, Shah will visit the White House, Supreme Court, Pentagon, and Senate & US House and hopes to gain a more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service. “This elite program is not just about listening but engaging in sessions, interacting, and asking questions in the most immersive experience possible. This program taps youth delegates who are future policymakers,” continued Shah. “I’m excited to meet other passionate leaders my age and exchange ideas and energy in order to help shape policy and government to have the best possible effect on things that really matter to real people.”

In addition to the all-expenses-paid Program Week in DC, Shah will receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship to the school of her choice (she has been accepted to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD) with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history, and public affairs. She will also become a permanent part of the USSYP program. We are proud of our USSYP Youth Delegate, Aanya Shah! For more information, please visit www.ussenateyouth.org.

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Photos courtesy of Troy School District