
NORTH COAST, Calif. — The United States Senate Youth Program, or USSYP, has selected high school students Sarah Rumei Gao and Bode Emet Gower to join senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff in representing California during the 63rd annual USSYP Washington Week.
The event will be held March 1 to 8.
Gao of San Diego and Gower of Hopland were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation that will attend meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, and other officials throughout the week.
Each delegate will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.
“I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to represent California in the U.S. Senate Youth Program,” said Gower. “As an advocate for youth in rural communities, I am excited to use this platform to elevate their voices and highlight the unique challenges that many rural communities in Northern California experience.”
Gower is a senior at Ukiah High School, where he serves as the president of the Associated Student Body. As the founder and chair of the Northern California Youth Policy Coalition, he supports rural youth by advocating for youth-related legislation at both state and federal levels, spotlighting the perspectives of rural youth and communities across Northern California.
He also serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the Young Leaders PAC and the K-12 director of policy for GenerationUp, California’s largest youth-led advocacy organization. He has been a member of Sen. Laphonza Butler’s Youth Advisory Council, where he regularly met with the senator, ensuring that the voices of rural communities are represented.
Gower also is a commissioner on the Mendocino County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission and founded the first-ever Mendocino County Youth Advisory Council
which works with the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors to engage the county youth on issues that come before the board.
He has been recognized as outstanding prosecution attorney during the 2024 California State Mock Trial Competition and as best attorney from the UCLA Mock Trial Institute, as well as having received the Congressional Award. He has worked on multiple political campaigns at both state and local levels.
He plans to major in public policy and pre-law studies, attend law school, and pursue a career in public service.
The USSYP was founded in 1962 by the sons of William Randolph Hearst and the senate leadership of the day — Senators Kuchel, Mansfield, Dirksen and Humphrey — in response to the deep divisiveness and national anxiety following the McCarthy era.
They outlined a plan to encourage America’s most talented young people to consider public service as an important, life-long, and noble pursuit, sponsoring Senate Resolution 324, which passed unanimously.
As stated in founding testimony, the program strives “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.”
Chosen as alternates to the 2025 program were Mr. James Miller, a resident of Oxnard, who attends Westlake High School and Ms. Sriya Srinivasan, a resident of Fairfield, who attends Rodriguez High School.
Delegates and alternates are selected by the state departments of education nationwide and the District of Columbia and Department of Defense Education Activity, after nomination by teachers and principals. The chief state school officer for each jurisdiction confirms the final selection.
This year’s California delegates and alternates were designated by Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Each year this extremely competitive merit-based program provides two outstanding high school students from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity with an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it.
Each student will also receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs. The Hearst Foundations have fully funded the program since inception; as stipulated, no government funds are utilized.
In addition to outstanding leadership abilities and a strong commitment to volunteer work, the student delegates rank academically in the top 1% of their states among high school juniors and
seniors. Now more than 6,200 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: Sen. Susan Collins, the first alumnus to be elected U.S. senator; Secretary of Transportation and former Mayor of South Bend Indiana Pete Buttigieg, the first alumnus to be appointed as a cabinet secretary; Rep. Sarah McBride, the second alumnus 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 alumnus to be elected governor.
Members of the U. S. Senate Youth Program 2025 annual Senate Advisory Committee are Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, the 2025 USSYP Republican co-chair, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the 2025 USSYP Democratic co-chair.
The full USSYP Senate Advisory Committee includes the vice president of the United States and the Senate majority and minority leaders, and four senators from each party who lend their names in support.
Serving on the 2025 Advisory Committee: Sen. Susan M. Collins of Maine, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota and Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont.