Anna Nguyen of Lahaina and Lotus Yasuda of Waipahu were selected from among the state's top student leaders. They will join the delegation of 104 outstanding high school students - two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity - for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it, meeting with Senators, the President, a Supreme Court Justice, and other high-level officials. Each delegate will also receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs. 

Anna Nguyen, a senior at Maui Preparatory Academy, serves as the National Honor Society President. As a policy fellow at Housing Hawaii's Future, she works closely with policy advisors to research Maui's zoning code and its implications on housing production. She is the Co-President of Model UN, Treasurer of the Student Senate, and an Admissions Ambassador. As a founding member of Mock Trial, she has won Outstanding Attorney eight times and advanced to the state finalist round alongside her teammates. Anna is a Coca-Cola Scholarship Semifinalist, a two-time Legal EagleBee Hawaii Champion, and was a keynote speaker at a statewide policy conference. In college, she plans to further her interest in civic engagement by studying economics and politics with the ultimate goal of becoming an attorney. Anna is immensely grateful for her family, friends, and mentors, whose guidance has developed her worldview of empathy and solutions-oriented change. 

Lotus Yasuda, a senior at Waipahu High School, serves as President of the Student Government. As the Hawaii State Student Council Chairperson, she represents and advocates for over 165,000 public and charter school students across the islands by driving positive change through engagement with education officials. Her advocacy focuses on crucial areas of interest to youth, including civic engagement, leadership, and social-emotional well-being. Collaborating with student leaders statewide, she helps organize and execute the annual Secondary Student Conference and Student Leadership Conference, striving to enhance students' legislative knowledge and leadership skills. As an Ambassador for Pledge to Our Keiki, she demonstrates a strong commitment to environmental stewardship. In her hometown of Waipahu, Lotus contributes to the creation of a community garden in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Hui o Hoʻohonua, combining traditional and modern agricultural practices to support conservation of Hawaii's natural ecosystems. As a lifelong learner, Lotus is deeply committed to her academics and is currently on track to earn her associate in liberal arts degree from Leeward Community College in May 2026. Lotus plans to pursue her post-secondary education in environmental studies and international relations, aspiring to fulfill her mission as a global citizen who creates meaningful impact in public service and worldwide sustainability efforts. 

Chosen as alternates to the 2026 program were Mr. Micah K Kalauli, a resident of Hilo, who attends Waiakea High School and Ms. Mia Kazue Nishiguchi, a resident of Honolulu, who attends Kalani High School. 

Delegates and alternates are selected by the state departments of education, including the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activities, after nomination by teachers and principals. The chief state school officer for each jurisdiction confirms the final selection. This year's Hawaii delegates and alternates were designated by Keith T. Hayashi, State Superintendent of Education. 

The 2026 United States Senate Youth Program Co-Chairs are Senator Katie Britt of Alabama and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts. The full USSYP Senate Advisory Committee consists of the Vice President of the United States and the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders who annually serve as the program's Honorary Co-Chairs; two Senators, one from each party, serving as acting Co-Chairs who each have keynote speaking roles, and an eight-member bipartisan Senate panel, four Senators from each party, who lend their names in support. Serving on the Advisory Committee for the upcoming program are: Senator John Barrasso, M.D. of Wyoming, Senator Steve Daines of Montana, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey, Senator Angus S. King, Jr. of Maine, and Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. 

The USSYP is a competitive, merit-based program created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 by the sons of William Randolph Hearst and the Senate leadership of the day - Senators Kuchel, Mansfield, Dirksen, and Humphrey. The USSYP is designed to encourage America's most talented young people to consider public service as an important, life-long, and noble pursuit. Senate Resolution 324 passed unanimously. 

The Hearst Foundations have fully funded the program since inception, as stipulated in SR 324, no government funds are utilized. 

USSYP alumni now number more than 6,300 and many go on to build legacies of public service. The distinguished alumni include Senator Susan Collins, the first USSYP delegate to be elected U.S. Senator; former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, the first to be appointed as a Cabinet Secretary; Representative Sarah McBride, the second to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; 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, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the first to be elected Governor. 

For more information, please visit ussenateyouth.org