Senior Caleb Quiroga has successfully applied, been accepted into, and attended the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), an annual event where pairs of students from all 50 states are invited to Washington, D.C. to participate in federal government proceedings.
“I was very shocked and did not expect to get chosen,” said Quiroga. “I felt very privileged to get this opportunity.”
The USSYP was established in 1962 by a U.S. Senate resolution. It was originally introduced by Assistant Senate Minority Leader Tom Kuchel, Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield and Assistant Senate Majority Leader Hubert Humphrey.
The goal of the program, as the bill put it, was to “increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials and the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.
For someone like Quiroga, the program seemed like a perfect fit. He first found interest in both national and state politics around the time of the 2016 presidential election, particularly after former President Donald Trump was elected, though he really started to pay attention after the 2018 midterm elections.
“When Democrats were able to take back control of the House of Representatives, I realized that politics was actually something relevant to everyone’s lives,” said Quiroga.
He first started doing political advocacy in the 2020 election, where he worked on funding and canvassed for Sen. Mark Warner and President Joe Biden.
Since then, he has started working with State House delegates, including Delegate Kathy Tran, who he interned for, as well as Sandy Anderson and Laura Jane Cohen, two members of the Fairfax County School Board. He also joined the Virginia Young Democrats (VAYD) in 2022, shortly after the election of Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“After the election of Gov. Youngkin, I was quite disappointed with the leadership within the Virginia Democratic Party, especially being in a Democratic state and somehow losing control of all three statewide offices and the House of Delegates,” said Quiroga.
After serving as programs director for one year, Quiroga led a successful campaign in April 2023 to be elected as chairman of the Teen Caucus. Using his experience as a member of VAYD as a prerequisite, Quiroga successfully applied to the Senate Youth Program in the fall.
“My predecessor, Seehee Perez, who went to McLean High School, helped me out with the application stuff a little bit and helped me learn more about the program. I found out in early December that I was chosen as a delegate of the program,” said Quiroga.
The selection process required writing two essays, getting chosen by a WS committee and an interview at the state level. Quiroga was then selected by three members of the Department of Education to move on as a finalist, and had one final interview.
From March 2 through March 9, Quiroga and other representatives to the Senate Youth Program stayed in a hotel free of charge, getting to tour the White House, Supreme Court building and Library of Congress, as well as meeting President Biden and Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.
“I’m disappointed that the program is over, but I’m thankful for the opportunity that I got with it,” said Quiroga. “One thing I particularly will remember is what Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough told me: to take all of the opportunities given to me.”
Looking forward beyond the program, Quiroga hopes to work with Democrats to rebuild their infrastructure and possibly oppose incumbent Gov. Youngkin. He will be attending college at the University of Virginia’s college at Wise.
“I want to live in Virginia after I graduate college, where I hope to run for the state General Assembly, and hopefully governor one day. I think that if the time is right, I might run for the Senate, House and maybe president if the planets are aligned perfectly, but the highest I’m really going for is governor,” said Quiroga.
