My high school career revolves around providing for the students of my school and

interacting with the students in my class. Representing the student body fills a hole in my
identity, and provides me with the experience that I need in order to succeed in the future as a
person involved in politics. The United States Youth Senate Program, sponsored by the William
Randolph Hearst Foundation, would help me to better understand the government of my country
and provide a life-changing experience for me that would influence my future.
Since I was a political neophyte in the 6th grade, I ran for office based on the idea that I
could lead the students in my class to freedom from the grips of the fiends that the middle school
teachers were, and provide the fun that the students needed to survive school. As time passed by,
I came to understand that representing a body of people not only involves making the final,
executive decisions that would not appease one group of students, but also listening to the people
that I represent and to make sure that every one of those people received what he or she wanted.
The duty and the responsibility of one person to lead and to please ones peers became an
integral slice in my daily pie, as I received from, and delivered to the needs of my people.
The community that I live in is an essential part of my life, and I like to give back to the
community through volunteer work. The military base community in which I am a part of is a
unique community, in that almost everyone knows everyone. My role as a leader at Osan
American High School takes me to the Base Commanders office in order to gain permission for
a school-sponsored event at the Base Exchange, for example. I actively volunteer at various
places like the base clinic, the base library, and the animal shelter. In addition, I take part in
promoting the Korean-American alliance by participating in joint volunteer events, like Troops
for Trash, a monthly event that allows Koreans and Americans to work side by side and
communicate while providing for the community.
My achievements demonstrate that I am a leader on many counts, from performing
academically to possessing key leadership skills, and that these characteristics help my
candidacy for the United States Senate Youth Program. From working alongside professors at
the University of Tsukuba at Far East STEMinars to representing my school at the annual
Harvard Model Congress Asia, I demonstrate the social graces and the academic skills required
of a leader. For example, by speaking tenaciously at the Harvard Model Congress Asia
conference in 9th grade, I was rewarded the Honorable Mention award and was welcomed back
the next year as President of the conference. I am involved in a multifarious amount of school
organizations that work towards developing a better school, like the Continuous School
Improvement program, in which I am a student representative representing the junior class. I also
communicate effectively with my schools administration in order to provide for the student body.
To be completely honest, I have never taken a U.S. government class up to this point in
my school career, with the exception of learning the Preamble to the Constitution and
memorizing the first 10 U.S. Presidents in my middle school U.S. History class. However,
through the model Congress program, and through the student government organization at both
the middle school that I attended and the high school that I currently attend, I was exposed to the
U.S. government. I believe that the William Randolph Hearst Foundations United States Senate
Youth Program will help me experience the government that I have ever since admired. I believe
that this program will reinforce my crude knowledge of the passage of bills in Congress, the
power of the judicial branch to declare any laws unconstitutional, and the role of the executive
branch in performing both domestic and foreign affairs. And finally, I believe that this program
will motivate me to work harder towards the dream of representing a larger group of people in
the future.
When I am not thinking about the Iran nuclear deal at model Congress, I think about the
article I am going to write about for The Young Post, a student-led online news publication. As a
writer, I believe that my knowledge of current events today, and as a student living overseas, I
believe that my experience in multiple foreign countries influences my political thoughts as an
individual interested in government. I believe that I will radiate my life experience and that my
thoughts will provide an alternate perspective to the foreign policy problems that the United
States government face today. At the local level, my experience at the United States Senate
Youth Program will help me, as captain, to better the local model Congress program at my
school by sharing the inner workings of the United States government. Humphreys High School,
another DoDEA school just south of Osan American High School, also has a model Congress
program, and I believe that I could improve their program by working with them as well. In
addition, I believe that I will motivate others to follow the path that I am taking, and soon admire
the United States government as I do.
I believe that I am qualified as a delegate to the United States Youth Senate Program for
DoDEA, and I am confident that I will represent DoDEA as one of the best student delegates that
the youth senate program has ever witnessed.