Kofa senior heading to DC for Senate Youth Program

From the Kofa High School hallways to the steps of Capitol Hill, senior Joshua Garay is headed to Washington D.C.

Garay was one of two students selected in Arizona for the highly competitive United States Senate Youth Program.

“I got the email that I was one of the two delegates for Arizona and so I was very excited,” Garay said.

The program is an all paid, week-long trip to the nation’s capital. The student delegates will get to meet senators, Supreme Court justices, and more.

“I’m gonna go there for a week, I get to meet senators, my senators, Kyrsten Sinema, and Martha McSally, and also I’m going to be able to interact with justice member of the Supreme Court, and I think President Donald Trump will be there and giving a speech and talking to us,” Garay explained.

The United States Senate Program was implemented in 1962. It gives high school students an up close and personal experience to watch our government in action.

Garay has already dedicated his life to a career in politics.

“Actually I’m going to study political science when I go to college. So, I think this really does align with what I want to do in life. But I do know I want to commit my life to becoming a public servant, someone who works for the government, with the government,” he said.

Politics wasn’t always in his life.

Garay came to Kofa High School his sophomore year and was looking to join a few clubs.

“So I think I started being a little bit more politically active my sophomore year in high school. When I walked into JSA (Junior State of America) accidentally, I thought it was the chess club and I was like wait, what is this, and I actually stayed in there for a little bit and started hearing the debates and I actually got really interested,” Garay said.

Being involved at Kofa, Garay believes the curriculum has helped shape him for his future.

“The challenge from Kofa is good, a lot of hard work, dedication towards my academics here, and I think Kofa High School has really prepared me for going onto my future,” he explained.

One day, Garay wants to pursue a career in politics. This trip will help fortify that.

“Being someone who wants to serve the public in the future – whether I do that in Washington D.C. or Arizona here, locally – I know this will be an experience for me, sort of a practice run representing my people and getting to show them what Arizona is made of,” Garay said.

Each student delegate receives $10,000 in scholarship money. The 57th Annual Senate Youth Program is from March 2-9, 2019.