SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- United States Air Force Lt. Col. Brittany Hensley, an Ohio Air National Guard officer from the 178th Wing, is in Washington, D.C., leading a team of military mentors for the 65th annual United States Senate Youth Program. For the second consecutive year, Hensley is serving as the senior military officer for the week-long event, a role in which she guides 16 other officers and 104 of the nation’s top high school students. Her mission is to provide an example of public service and to represent the National Guard on a national stage.
"I want to represent Springfield, Ohio. I want to represent the Ohio Air National Guard, the 178th Wing," Hensley said. "I want to represent the National Guard because I feel that often we're overshadowed by everything else," she continued.
The program itself is a cornerstone of civic education, established by United States Senate Resolution 324 in 1962. The resolution was a bipartisan effort to increase younger Americans' understanding of the interrelations between the three branches of government. From its inception, the resolution mandated the involvement of the Department of War, specifying that military officers would serve as mentors.
"I think a lot of that is because we're apolitical," Hensley said.
This non-partisan stance is central to the mentors' mission, allowing them to connect with students from every point on the political spectrum without alienating anyone.
"These students are very passionate about their beliefs and they're excited to give back and to fight for something they believe in," Hensley said.
The role extends beyond simple supervision; it is an active and engaged form of guidance through a week of intense new experiences.
"We're going to mentor them, we're going to take them around, we're going to give them different perspectives, but we're also that sense of service," Hensley said.
The 104 delegates are among the most accomplished high school students in the country. To qualify, they must have a desire to serve in an elected or appointed role in the government and be involved in extracurriculars such as student council or debate team. They are nominated by their state’s U.S. senators, making the selection itself a distinct honor before they even arrive in Washington. This selection criteria ensures the delegates are already committed to the idea of service, though the week is designed to expand their understanding of what that can mean. Hensley described the cohort as a remarkable cross-section of the nation’s future.
"The melting pot that exists of the United States in these young, brilliant students," Hensley said. "Delegates hail from Alaska and the hills of Wyoming and the inner city of San Francisco."
For many of these delegates, whose lives have been focused on civilian leadership and academics, the program provides their first meaningful interaction with a member of the armed forces. Hensley saw the extent of this civil-military divide with her own group of students last year.
"Out of the girls that I got the fortune and opportunity to be their mentor last year, there was only one that had ever had any prior contact with the military," Hensley said. "They had never met someone in the military. They knew what it was, but they had never met someone."
This first contact is often transformative, challenging stereotypes and offering a human dimension to a profession many only know from news headlines. Hensley recalled a moment with one student that encapsulated the entire purpose of her involvement and became a defining memory of her service in the program.
"I had one girl say to me, I came into this thinking one thing," Hensley said. "The student had a less than positive view of the military, and she said I changed her view of the military for the better. That to me was all the reason why I did it."
The itinerary is a dense schedule of visits to the iconic institutions that define American government. In a single week, the students visit the Capitol, the White House, the Pentagon, the Library of Congress, and the State Department. Hensley recounted a visit to NASA headquarters where the students sat for a panel with astronauts who had just returned from a mission.
"It's a peak behind the curtain of all the ways you can serve our country," Hensley said.
This behind-the-scenes access provides a tangible connection to history and government that a textbook never could. One of the most awe-inspiring moments, Hensley said, took place in the hallowed halls of the nation’s highest court.
"We get to walk into the Supreme Court with Justice Kavanaugh last year and have a conversation with him in the Supreme Court sitting in the pews before the court," Hensley said. "That's unheard of, and that experience just resonates with the delegates."
Beyond the awe of the locations, the program's true, lasting impact comes from fostering dialogue. The students are not just passive tourists; they are active participants, encouraged to engage with leaders and, just as importantly, with each other. Hensley described how hearing directly from a national leader can instantly dismantle preconceived notions. She recalled sitting with a group of delegates at the State Department after an address by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"One of them at the end was like I have a completely different view of him now, because of what he said in his address," Hensley said. "I think that's the whole intent of this program is to give everyone an idea of service."
Hensley explained that the mentors’ role is often to facilitate these crucial, sometimes difficult, conversations among the students.
"The conversations that these students have, and we get to facilitate as mentors is extremely rewarding," Hensley said.
The program also serves to illuminate the vast spectrum of service open to the students. An icebreaker exercise Hensley conducted with her group of female mentees powerfully illustrated their diverse ambitions. She asked them to pick a corner of the room corresponding to their ultimate career goal.
The intense week culminates in an event that Hensley and the mentors affectionately call their "Super Bowl," the annual Senate Reception. Hensley recalls that it was held in a beautiful room in a Capitol building, it is here that the students receive their $10,000 college scholarship from The Hearst Foundations, often presented by their own home state senators. It is a moment of immense pride for the students and their families.
"The joy and excitement and it's really incredible to see those students just so excited to have this presented by one of our elected officials," Hensley said.
While her primary focus was on mentoring the students, she quickly discovered the program would have an equally profound impact on her.
"It was more than I ever could imagined actually going through it," Hensley said.
She found herself forming powerful bonds not only with her student mentees, but with her fellow mentors from the Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Space Force. The joint environment was a profound experience in itself.
"To serve alongside my joint brothers and sisters was an incredible opportunity, which is why I wanted to do it again," Hensley said.
This connection proved to have tangible benefits beyond personal friendship; she later collaborated with a Navy mentor from the program to "execute a mission together" between their respective organizations. Now, as the senior military officer for the entire program, she is responsible for leading the mentor team and ensuring the week is as impactful for them as it is for the students. Her motivation remains deeply personal, a desire to pass on the gift that was given to her by her own role models.
"If it weren't for the people I looked up to, I wouldn't be where I am today, and it weren't for the mentors, I wouldn't be who I am today," Hensley said.