New Canaan High School Seniors Veronica Ma, Charles Sosnick Selected for Venerable U.S. Senate Youth Program

Two New Canaan High School seniors have earned a $5,000 college scholarship and weeklong trip to the nation’s capital under a prestigious, competitive program whose alumni include congressmen, governors, judges, ambassadors and presidential advisors. Veronica Ma and Charles Sosnick are Connecticut’s delegates to the 53rd annual United States Senate Youth Program—the first time in memory, officials say, that the two participants selected from each state are also from the same high school. The pair will attend “Washington Week” next month, and the program—sponsored by the U.S. Senate and funded by The Hearst Foundations, is designed “to increase young Americans’ understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, learn the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and emphasize the vital importance of democratic decision-making not only for America but for people around the world,” according to a press release. Veronica called it “a once-in-a-life-time kind of thing.”

“It’s crazy that a high schooler like me can experience D.C. from such an incredible, first-hand perspective,” she told NewCanaanite.com in an email. “I’m especially thrilled because I’m looking to concentrate in government next year in college, so Washington Week will be an amazing way for me to explore our nation’s governmental system.