Wisconsin students selected for Senate youth program

Nina Bhattacharjee, of Neenah, and Anna Gallardo-Ibarra, of Sturgeon Bay, will join a delegation of just over 100 high school students from across the country for an intensive weeklong study of the federal government and the people who lead it. Delegates will meet with senators, the president, a Supreme Court justice and other high-level officials. The selected delegates will also receive a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship, with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs.

Bhattacharjee serves as the student body president at Neenah High School, where she is a senior. She has always viewed herself as a leader and civic advocate. As a student representative on her school district’s Board of Education, she participates in policy discussions on curriculum and student equity while serving as a liaison between students and the board. She is the congressional debate captain of her high school’s speech and debate team, where she is ranked first in Wisconsin and seventh nationally. Outside of school, Bhattacharjee is the project director of the City of Neenah’s Citizenship Academy, a program she designed through direct collaboration with her city to strengthen public understanding of local government and civic participation. She founded and currently leads a Youth Policy Team with the League of Women Voters, working to expand voter education and bridge youth perspectives with local democratic processes. She plans to study political science with a strong emphasis on the ethics behind justice and governance and ultimately hopes to return to Wisconsin to pursue public service.

Gallardo-Ibarra serves as class president at Sevastopol High School, where she is a senior. She is passionate about amplifying the voices of young people in politics. She is a first-generation American and serves as the student representative and youth outreach coordinator for the Door County Democratic Party, where she has seen how local engagement can grow into meaningful action, a key factor in her development as a community leader and advocate for her peers. She has held leadership roles as both class president and vice president and has contributed to Sound It Out Together, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about student mental health. She hopes to attend college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study sociology and immerse herself in the pre-law program. She would like to become an attorney, with the goal of helping people navigate paths to citizenship, protecting them from unnecessary deportation and ensuring immigrant communities have access to vital legal resources.

Charles Sanderson-Haque, who attends Edgerton High School, and McKenna Maronn, who attends Kaukauna High School, were selected as the 2026 alternates. Delegates and alternates are selected by the state departments of education, after nomination by teachers and principals. This year’s delegates and alternates were designated by Dr. Jill Underly, Wisconsin state superintendent of public instruction.