Each spring, The Natural State welcomes the return of green trees and warmer weather. At the same time, bright young Arkansans prepare for the close of the school year and, every year since 2017, I have enjoyed the opportunity to see a select group of high school juniors grow into confident, more civically engaged citizens. 

Now every April sees the final gathering of my annual Congressional Youth Cabinet (CYC). These young people represent the best of our state. They take on the invitation to join up with other students from their region, along with others from across The Natural State, for a non-partisan exploration of the legislative process.

Ultimately, they get to find their voice on policies important to them.

Long before their final presentations, they convene and receive guidance from my staff about the structure and goals of the program. Next, these students join forces with others from their congressional districts, select the topic they want to explore –– and then they are off to the races.

After months of communication, research and analysis, interviews with local experts and other preparation, they finalize a presentation and gear up to deliver it at our finale.

I’m always impressed with their dedication as they spend countless hours meeting with their teams, digging into the details and crafting legislative proposals. As you can imagine, the time commitment is demanding for these active students as they balance classes, school sports and activities, part-time jobs and family responsibilities.

Seeing what subjects spark their interest and watching as they bring their life experiences to the table – whether they want to talk about maternal health because they hope to go to medical school, choose livestock disease prevention based on their family’s experience raising cattle, or want to learn more about financial literacy because they see too many young people falling into debt – is rewarding and a true source of encouragement. Each year, their efforts seem to produce even more thoughtful and insightful discussions, and the 2025-26 Youth Cabinet was no exception.

A new topic presented this year focused on artificial intelligence. As noted in their presentation, AI has the incredible potential to affect nearly every aspect of our society. The CYC participants were excited rather than daunted by that prospect.

They showed diligence while carefully observing the effects of AI chatbots on teen mental health as well as the anticipated impact of AI on future jobs for them and their peers.

It was special to see these challenges and questions come to life through their eyes, and I will keep their perspectives in mind as these issues are debated in the nation’s capital in the months and years ahead.

Outside of the Youth Cabinet participants, I know there are many other young people across Arkansas looking for opportunities to learn about government and serve in their communities.

College students and graduates can intern with my offices in Washington and Arkansas where they experience public policy work firsthand and gain an understanding of constituent services. High schoolers can apply to serve as Senate Pages – a unique and important role supporting the day-to-day functions of the Senate – or seek out the U.S. Senate Youth Program for a week-long educational experience and scholarship focused on the interrelationship of the legislative, judicial and executive branches. 

I’m grateful to the students who took part in our CYC program this year, and to all of the young people working hard, studying and volunteering to give Arkansas a bright future.