U.S. Senator John Boozman’s (R-AR) Congressional Youth Cabinet (CYC) is now in its tenth year, and the senator launched the 2026-2027 CYC at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock. This year, 80 accomplished participants were selected from public, private, charter and homeschools across The Natural State for their demonstrated community leadership and involvement, representing some of Arkansas’s best and brightest students. 

 “The Congressional Youth Cabinet is a unique opportunity to explore issues and policies relevant to these outstanding students as well as their communities, our state and nation,” said Boozman. “My staff and I are excited to help guide them through this initiative while encouraging their interest in civic engagement and public service. It is always rewarding to help introduce them to the legislative process and empowering them to develop solutions to the challenges facing their generation. I look forward to seeing them collaborate, share their ideas and build the confidence to become engaged citizens and future leaders who make a positive difference throughout The Natural State and beyond.”

Boozman’s office designed the Congressional Youth Cabinet as a nonpartisan, civics-based program to offer students a first-hand experience with the democratic process and the opportunity to understand how public policy impacts them, their families and communities. The students will attend meetings throughout the school year and work in teams to select and then research national issues, develop policy recommendations before presenting them to the senator and his staff the following spring.

The following students were selected to participate in the CYC for the 2026-2027 school year:

1st Congressional District

Bennett Allen, Cabot High School

Ma’Riyah Byers, Forrest City High School

Colby Cooper, Cabot High School

Trevor Gordon, East Poinsett County High School

Aiden Hook, Valley View High School

Parker Johns, Cabot High School

Ramsey Jones, Cabot High School

Ty’Rica King, Blytheville High School

Gareth Lee, Cabot High School

Rachael McCall, Cabot High School

Kaveri Nagpal, Valley View High School

Grant Horton, Marshall High School

Samuel Talmaciu, Bergman High School

Nakyah Thompson, Delta Preparatory School

Ellie Stricklin, Beebe High School

Elandra Spears, Delta Preparatory High School

Baxley Vaught, Wynne High School

Tabitha Wheeler, Valley Springs High School

Jaxon Wood, Greene County Technical High School

Mac Carpenter, Valley View High School

2nd Congressional District

Jackson Brown, Arkansas Christian Academy

Miley Barbosa, LISA Academy West High School

Daniel Chen, Pulaski Academy

Cameron Daniels, Bryant High School

Girvan Donagher, Pulaski Academy

Karissa Gaither, ESTEM High School

Eila Giglio, LISA Academy North Middle-High

Daniel Hunter, Catholic High School for Boys

Avery Howell, Cabot High School

Delajah McGhee, LISA Academy West High School

Janet Marin, LISA Academy North

Vishak Meenachi, Little Rock Central High School

Kaveyanjali Sutha Merthi, LISA Academy West High School

Mina Nafe, Little Rock Central High School

Yana Pandit, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and Arts

Mursel Uygun, LISA Academy West High School

Chase Varner, Maumelle Charter High School

Mollie Windel, Mount Saint Mary Academy

Emily Tornes Hidalgo, LISA Academy North Middle-High

Suleyman Acikgoz, Little Rock Central High School

3rd Congressional District

Dara Adejumo, Bentonville High School

Matthew Granger, Greenwood High School

Tristan Henehan, Southside High School

Autumn Howe, Ozark High School

Brylee Howe, Ozark High School

Marlee Hurst, Northside High School

Isabella Kluthe, Huntsville High School

Grant Larimer, Haas Hall Academy Fayetteville

Austin Mattingly, Farmington High School

Harrison Placzek, Bentonville High School

Denise Pollard, Bentonville High School

Jiya Reddy, Bentonville High School

Colleen Smith, Green Forest High School

Lucy-Claire Song, Fayetteville High School

Maximilian Temple, Don Tyson School of Innovation

Evan Tidwell, Bentonville High School

Maxwell Turnbull, Bentonville West High School

Cora Villar, The New School

Anaya Dike, Bentonville High School

Shanvi Alaparthi, Bentonville High School

4th Congressional District

Maliyah Aleman, Arkansas Senior High School

Adalyn Allen, Junction City High School

Braelyn Allen, West Side Christian School

Yojit Acharya, Lakeside High School

Sagan Chambers, Monticello High School

Rhiannon Dixon, Homeschool

Daniela Garcia, Little Rock Southwest High School

Kaylin Grissom, Arkansas Connections Academy

Olivia Hernandez, Hot Springs World Class High School

Ava Long, Harrison High School

Candy Lopez-Gonzalez, Mills University Studies High School

Ryker Martin, Arkansas High School

Carter Moss, Lakeside High School

Violet Myers, Sheridan High School

Hailey Reed, Sheridan High School

Greyson Shultz, Westside High School

Vincent Vidanage, Lakeside High School

Haley Wilkes, Fountain Lake High School

Isac Wilhite, Fountain Lake High School

D’unka Zillender, Camden Fairview High School