Stephen MaranteCoral Springs High School student Stephen Marante is headed to Washington, D.C., where he joins Florida’s two U.S. senators, Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio for the 56^th annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) Washington Week. The weeklong event takes place March 3 – 10, 2018.  Stephen, selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104-national student delegation, will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.

Stephen currently serves as the student advisor to the Broward County School Board and is an executive board member for the Broward County Association of Student Councils. He was class president for three years, has been involved in speech and debate for four consecutive years, and is a member of Representative Ted Deutsch’s Congressional Youth Cabinet.  Stephen is active on the Children’s Miracle Network/Dance Marathon and has helped raise over $10,000 for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. He is also a member of the City of Coral Springs Teen Political Forum.

Each year, the extremely competitive USSYP merit-based program brings the most outstanding high school students – two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity – to Washington, D.C. for an intensive weeklong study of the federal government and the people who lead it. In addition to outstanding leadership abilities and a strong commitment to volunteer work, the student delegates rank academically in the top one percent among high school juniors and seniors in their states.

While in Washington, the student delegates attend meetings and briefings with senators, members of the House of Representatives, congressional staff, the president, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, an ambassador to the United states and senior members of the national media. The students also tour many of the national monuments and several museums. Transportation, all expenses and a $10,000 college scholarship for each student delegate are provided by The Hearst Foundations.