State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today announced two outstanding high school students to represent California in the 60th annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), which is sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.

Joleen Bakalova of Loma Linda (San Bernardino County), a junior at Citrus Valley High School in the Redlands Unified School District, and Sneha Revanur of San Jose (Santa Clara County), a senior at Evergreen Valley High School in the East Side Union High School District, were selected for their extraordinary leadership skills, significant commitments to their schools and communities, and academic and extracurricular achievements as California’s delegates in this highly competitive program.

“I am amazed at what these incredible students have accomplished already in their young lives in their schools and communities and know they will represent California well in this program,” Thurmond said. “I am impressed and inspired by their strong leadership, passion, and commitment to making positive change and doing good in this world. Their advocacy work on issues such as mental health awareness, civic engagement, civil rights, social justice, equity, and desire to improve the lives of those who are disadvantaged gives me confidence that our future is in good hands.”

Source: 2022 U.S. Senate Youth Program Students Announced – Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education)