Ponte Vedra High senior Ella York will get a taste of what it is like to be a senator after she received the honor of being one of two students chosen to represent Florida at the 63rd Annual United States Senate Youth Program.
York will be joined by senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott as they represent Florida during the weeklong program from March 1 to 8 in Washington, D.C.
She was selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation that will attend the various meetings and briefings with senators, President Donald Trump, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, and other officials throughout the busy week.
On top of this experience, York will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for her undergraduate study for being selected as a delegate.
With these scholarships, students are encouraged to pursue coursework in the fields of history and political science, which fits perfectly with York’s plan to focus on international relations in college and pursue a career in national security or intelligence.
As a result, serving in a government setting is nothing new for York, as she serves as a school representative in the superintendent's student advisory council, and as the president of the Ponte Vedra High student government, she has organized numerous fundraising events and spent hours volunteering with food drives, book drives, and school and community events.
She also serves as president and founder of her school’s debate club, which has won a pair of state championships under her leadership.
York’s resume does not stop there and includes interning for the United States Secret Service at the Jacksonville field office during the summer of 2024, where she helped agents compile evidence, analyze financial records, and work with victims.
Representing her state at the national level is something she has done in the past when she was also one of two students selected to represent the state during the FBI Youth Leadership Program at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and was selected for the state department’s virtual national security language initiative for youth, where she was chosen as a keynote speaker for the Russian classes.
