The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship, an innovative non-profit dedicated to educating a new generation of leaders in the essential skills of negotiation, dialogue and compromise, announced its 2017 class of National Student Congress. 

Hailey Zock Headshot
Hailey Zock

Hailey Zock, a political science major at The University of New Mexico, has been selected for the prestigious program, and will be traveling to Lexington, Kentucky this June.

“This is another fabulous class of promising young leaders,” said Michael Vetter, executive director of the Henry Clay Center. “We look forward to engaging and inspiring these gifted students and immersing them in the legacy of the ‘the Great Compromiser,’ Henry Clay, and the importance of cooperation in public policy and government. Bringing students together from every region of the country is an enriching experience for all the participants.”

The Student Congress program is completely free of cost (travel and lodging included) to those selected from the competitive application process. Current college juniors and high school juniors with records of exceptional academic and extracurricular achievement were chosen for this once-in-a-lifetime academic and personal development course. The high school program will be held June 4 through 10. The college program will be June 11 through 17. 

During that week, participants will have the opportunity to meet with lawmakers, academics, journalists and civic leaders to discuss the practical importance of compromise and constructive engagement and dialogue to resolve conflict and competing interests in a democracy. Nationally-recognized guest speakers engage in seminars with the students, followed by a student debate on a current topic in the Old State Capitol in nearby Frankfort, Ken. 

Past speakers have included justices of the Supreme Court, U.S. Speakers of the House, governors, U.S. Senators and other nationally recognized officials and academic thought leaders.