A senior at Las Cruces High School will represent New Mexico later this year as part of the 64th Annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) in Washington, D.C.
Margaret Collins was selected among the state’s top student leaders and will join a delegation of 104 outstanding high school students for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. The program includes meeting with senators, the President, a Supreme Court Justice and other elected officials. Each delegate also receives a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs.
At Las Cruces High, Collins serves as an Officer in the National Honor Society and was a founding member of the LCHS Mock Trial team, currently serving as President. As a member of the LCPS Student Advisory Council, Collins attends meetings of the LCPS Board of Education and collaborates with peers across the district, advocating as a student, leader and athlete. She was a participant of the National Hispanic Institute 2024 Dennis Chavez New Mexico Lorenzo de Zavala Youth Legislative Program and represented New Mexico at the 2024 Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy Associates Youth Leadership Program in Quantico, Virginia. Collins has also participated in programs with FBI offices in Albuquerque and El Paso and worked with the TurnUp Youth Voter Registration to promote voter participation and research legislation. Collins plays varsity tennis and volunteers at school and community events including the Safe Routes to School Bike Fiesta. In college, she would like to study international relations with a focus on national security.
Collins joins one other New Mexico delegate, Faith Young from Rio Rancho. The two students will join Senator Martin Heinrich and Senator Ben Ray Lujan in Washington. Student delegates were selected by each state's department 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 state confirms the final selection. This year’s New Mexico delegates were designated by Mariana Padilla, New Mexico Secretary of Education.
The USSYP is a competitive, merit-based program created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 by the sons of Randolph Hearst and the Senate leadership at that time. The Hearst Foundations have fully funded the program since its inception. Distinguished alumni of the program include former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.