2026 Alumni Weekend

Join the USSYAA for our events at the Mayflower Hotel and around Washington, DC, from March 6th to March 8th, 2026!
 

FRIDAY, March 6th

Alumni Welcome Dinner & Drinks

March 6, 2026 at 7pm EST
Salazar
1819 14th St NW Washington DC 20009
Registration for this event is recommended. There is no cost to attend this event, but you may wish to purchase food and drink.

Join old friends and meet new ones at our informal welcome gathering on Friday evening, March 6th from 7-10pm at Salazar! This is a great opportunity to reconnect with fellow alums and kick off the weekend with a fun, informal vibe. And tacos! Members under 21 are welcome to attend too.

SATURDAY, March 7th

NEW EVENT IN 2026 - The Alumni Exchange at the Mayflower

March 7, 2026 at 10am EST, 60 Minutes
Chinese Ballroom, Main Level, Mayflower Hotel
1127 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC 20036
Registration for this event is recommended. There is no cost to attend this event.

Join us in the Chinese Ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel on Saturday morning, March 7th, at 10am for our first featured alumni speaker series. We're opening nominations for members who wish to present a very short session about their recent work, studies, or endeavors. To showcase the diverse reach of our members across our country, three members will be invited to speak for about 10 minutes each, answer questions, and then the room will open to informal breakout sessions with conversation encouraged. Expect a "mini-Ted" style presentation, with a focus on public service. Very light refreshment will be provided. Nominations are open for speakers now at USSYAA.org, and featured speakers will be announced before Alumni Weekend.

2026 Annual Membership Meeting

March 7, 2026 at 11:10am EST, 45-75 Minutes
Chinese Ballroom, Main Level, Mayflower Hotel
1127 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC 20036
Registration for this event is recommended. There is no cost to attend this event.

Immediately following our speaker series event, join the USSYAA Board of Directors for our annual membership meeting in the Chinese Ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel at 11am, where the shape and direction of the association will be set for 2026 and beyond. Our biennial leadership elections will take place at this meeting, and the new Board of Directors will share their plan for programs, events and new initiatives. Unlike in past years, our 2026 membership meeting will be primarily forward-looking, with an emphasis on feedback, questions and participation from members. That means you! The meeting starts promptly at 11:10am, and a link to attend virtually will be posted at USSYAA.org during alumni weekend. In-person attendance is encouraged. If you're in Washington, please don't skip this one! (There's very exciting news about what's ahead in 2026, and this is how you can hear it first.)

Informal Alumni Lunch: Following our Annual Membership Meeting, you're invited to join us at 1:00pm on Saturday afternoon for an informal lunch in the Downton/Dupont Circle area of Washington, just a short walk from the Mayflower Hotel.

The location for this event will be announced soon. There is no cost to attend this event, but you may wish to purchase food and drink.

Alumni Mentoring with the USSYP Class of 2026

March 7, 2026 at 2pm EST, 90 Minutes
Grand Ballroom, Main Level, Mayflower Hotel
1127 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC 20036
Registration for this event is required, and attendance is by invitation only. Access to the Grand Ballroom will be restricted to badge holders. Invited members can pick up their badges directly outside of the Grand Ballroom. Members selected to attend this event should be in the Grand Ballroom promptly at 2pm, and are expected to stay for the entire event. There is no cost to attend this event.

We're pleased to be able to continue one of the best traditions of Alumni Weekend! At 2:00pm on Saturday afternoon, March 7th, in the Grand Ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel, as the delegates walk through the hotel doors for the first time, the United States Senate Youth Program has invited 30 members of the USSYAA to share their educational and career insights with the 2026 delegate class. To provide the best experience possible for them, we've been asked to limit the number of seats for this event to 30. This year, we're working directly with USSYP staff to pair our invited members with the interests of this particular class of delegates. When registering, please let us know which field or industry best describes your experiences and qualifications, and we'll do our best to seat you at that table. Themed tables will range from politics and law to academia, STEM fields, the military, consulting, nonprofits, medicine, and many others. Due to overwhelming interest, we'll work with USSYP staff to select the widest possible cross-section of our membership to fill these seats. We appreciate your understanding that we can't make exceptions to the limit of 30 seats for this event.

Alumni Reception & Dinner

March 7, 2026 at 6pm EST
Phoenix Park Hotel
520 North Capitol St. NW Washington, DC 20001
Registration for this event is required. This is a ticketed event, and there is a cost to attend. Discounted tickets are available for members in delegate classes from 2020-2025.

Join us Saturday night, March 7th at 6pm for the centerpiece event of our Alumni Weekend! Network and dine with fellow United States Senate Youth Program alumni, and be there with us in Washington as we present our marquee scholarships and awards in 2026. Following dinner, our event program will feature distinguished speakers, and exciting updates from the new leaders of the association. We set attendance records at our reception and dinner last year, and we're looking forward to officially welcoming the Class of 2025 to the USSYAA!

• Reception & Cocktail Hour begins at 6:00pm
• Dinner begins at 7:00pm
• Program to follow

SUNDAY, March 8th

Informal Breakfast with Friends & Farewell: On your way out of town, we recommend you make plans to join friends for breakfast and then stay in touch in 2026! This isn't a formal event, but we hope you can spend a little more time with the people who shared the experience of Washington Week with you. If you're staying at the Mayflower Hotel, we recommend Edgar Bar & Kitchen in the main lobby. Try the brioche French toast!

As you leave DC, please remember that the board members of the USSYAA are always available to chat about how we can serve you, and we'd love your help as we work to achieve shared goals over the next two-year period. At 10am on Sunday, March 8th, please check your inbox for a special message from the USSYAA as we launch some exciting new projects in 2026. Thanks for another great year!

This is not a formal event.

An important note from your friends on the Alumni Weekend Planning Committee: When registering for events, please only register for events which you plan to attend, and please let us know if you can no longer attend after registering. Because the USSYAA pays to use most event spaces for Alumni Weekend, we’re expecting for you to attend and have fun with us! We know that plans can change, so please email us at AlumniWeekend@USSYAA.org if you can’t make it to an event for which you’ve registered. This lets us offer your place to someone who might have been turned away, and helps us accommodate as many of our members as possible. If you register, please come!

Registration for USSYAA events constitutes your permission for your and/or your guest(s) to be photographed by USSYAA and permission for USSYAA to use your photograph(s) for informational and publicity purposes. We regret that we are unable to refund ticket purchases after March 1, 2026.