Concord students to represent Granite State in U.S. Senate Youth Program
Published: 12-15-2024 12:00 PM |
Will Brochu was up on a ladder, stringing up Christmas lights when he got the email: He and another Concord student, Ryan Casey, are headed to Washington, DC.
“I sprinted inside and gave my mom a hug and celebrated with my family,” Brochu said. “I really, I wasn’t expecting to get it.”
Brochu and Casey will represent New Hampshire in the United States Senate Youth Program, which selects students from across the country to witness government in action. They’ll gather in Washington, DC, for the first week of March and hear from senators, cabinet members, other government officials and potentially the president and a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
Each student also receives a $10,000 stipend for undergraduate studies, funded by the Hearst Foundations, a national philanthropic organization founded nearly 80 years ago by William Randolph Hearst.
Casey, a junior at Bishop Brady High School in Concord, got involved with student government during his freshman year and now serves as class president.
“I’ve just been super interested in policymaking because I think it strongly impacts our lives, and so I think ever since that my interest has just grown,” Casey said.
Brochu grew up in Concord and attends a boarding school, Brewster Academy, in Wolfeboro. He heard about the program from Governor-elect Kelly Ayotte, whose campaign he worked on in the months leading up to the election and who he said inspired him to explore politics more.
It’ll be his first time in Washington, DC, Brochu said, and a chance to “pop the hood open” on the federal government.
Article continues after...
Yesterday's Most Read Articles
The two students knew each other already, having gone to the same church and middle school while growing up in Concord. A former Senate Youth Program attendee, 18-year-old James Thibault, was also recently elected as a state representative in Franklin.
The program doesn’t come with a stipulation that the student stays in politics: Casey plans to study computer science in college. Brochu said he’s not sure exactly what he wants to do, but “some sort of public service is definitely in my future.”
Casey has some experience with the legislative process already: He previously worked on a New Hampshire bill that aimed to tie student loan forgiveness to volunteer hours. The bill hasn’t passed yet, he said, but he’s resubmitted it.
“I think that’s one of the great things in our country, is that citizens can have a say and can make their voices heard,” Casey said of politics. “I think that it’s kind of my civic duty to fight for what I believe in and propose my ideas.”
Brochu said growing up in Concord helped shape his interest in politics. His grandfather was a city councilor, and he likes that his hometown is the center of state government.
“It’s just a huge piece of who I am,” Brochu said.
Charlotte Matherly is the statehouse reporter for the Concord Monitor and Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in partnership with Report for America. Follow her on X at @charmatherly, or send her an email at cmatherly@cmonitor.com.