Education
Sasebo high schooler selected for Washington Week, $10K college scholarship
EJ King Middle High School
January 24, 2025
Aliyah Regala | EJ King Middle High School (Photo courtesy of EJ King Middle High School)
The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) has announced that high school students Emily Wheeler and Alliyah Regala will represent DoDEA during the 63rd annual USSYP Washington Week, to be held March 1-8, 2025.
Wheeler, from Stuttgart, Germany, and Regala from Sasebo, Japan, were selected from among DoDEA’s top student leaders to be part of the national delegation of 104 students who will each receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.
Regala, born in the Philippines and raised all over the world, is a senior at EJ King Middle High School, Japan. She currently serves as the Student Council president, National Honor Society secretary, and Navy JROTC administrative officer, in addition to numerous other leadership roles. Regala is known for her effervescent, bubbly, and outgoing personality alongside her dedication to mentoring her cadets outside of school and hearing out every single student’s voice, ensuring an inclusive learning environment for all.
Attending USSYP will help Regala prepare for her dream of majoring in political science and serving as a foreign affairs officer in the military.
Chosen as alternates to the 2025 program were Aiko Haight from Okinawa, Japan, who attends Kadena high School, and Lila Cypers from Rota, Spain, who attends Rota High School.
Each year this extremely competitive merit-based program brings the most outstanding high school students – two from each state, the District of Columbia, and DoDEA – to Washington, D.C. for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. The overall mission of the program is to help instill within each class of USSYP student delegates more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service.
In addition to outstanding leadership abilities and a strong commitment to volunteer work, the student delegates rank academically in the top one percent of their states among high school juniors and seniors. Now more than 6,100 strong, alumni of the program continue to excel and develop impressive qualities that are often directed toward public service.
During the program week, the student delegates will attend meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies, and senior members of the national media, among others. Each year, the honorary co-chairs of the program are the vice president of the United States and the Senate majority and minority leaders.