Alabama Students Selected for
United States Senate Youth Program
Senators Richard C. Shelby and Jeff Sessions announced the names of the
two students who have been selected as delegates to the 54th annual United
States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) that will be held March 5 – 12, 2016 in
Washington, D.C. Deja Chappell of Montgomery and Steven Higgins, also of
Montgomery, were chosen from across the state to be part of the group of 104
student delegates who will attend the program’s 54th annual Washington Week.
The overall mission of the program is to help instill within each class of USSYP
student delegates more profound knowledge of the American political process
and a lifelong commitment to public service. In addition to the program week,
The Hearst Foundations provide each student with a $5,000 undergraduate
college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government,
history and public affairs.
MA Student wins
National Speech &
Debate Award
Deja Chappell attends Loveless Academic Magnet Program (LAMP) High
School. She serves as the National Honor Society president and a committee
chair for LAMP’s Invitational Model UN Conference. She has served three terms
as class president, and served for two years as a member of the Keep America
Beautiful National Youth Advisory Council. Deja is a U.S. State Department
National Security Language Initiative Arabic scholar and has received honors
from the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute and the American
Foreign Service Association. She is interested in social justice and the power of
the pen.
Steven Higgins is a senior at Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School and
serves as a Student Government Association class representative. He is also
president of the Youth in Government Club at his school. In addition, he is
an active member in Bridge Builders of Alabama, an organization that brings
students from different backgrounds together to focus on team building,
communication, conflict resolution and leadership skills. Upon graduation from
college, Steven wants to use his work as a means to support civic engagement
among youth.
Chosen as alternates to the 2016 program were John Touloupis, a resident
of Birmingham, who attends Indian Springs School and Chase Holcombe, a
resident of Florence, who attends Florence High School.
L14 |
Spring 2016
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Montgomery Academy senior, Madison Hall,
won the Barkley Forum Melissa Maxey Wade
Social Justice Award given by Emory University
Speech & Debate. Emory has a long history of
encouraging students to use their forensics skills
for the greater good of our society and this award
recognizes a speech & debate student who has
a passion for social justice work and a desire to
continue to use his or her gifts and skills to serve
others in his or her community.
Madison is the Founding Chair of the Inclusion
Committee of the National Speech & Debate
Association’s Student Leadership Committee.
She started a partnership with a local school that
serves special needs children; Madison and her
teammates coach them in speech & debate. She
also works with Family Promise of Montgomery
raising money through Mugs for Hugs to help
achieve their mission of eradicating homelessness
in Montgomery. In addition, Madison serves as a
YMCA Montgomery Big Buddy to a local elementary student.
Only four students throughout the country were
selected as finalists. Congratulations to Madison
on this outstanding honor!