Student forum explores U.S. National Security

Brandon Henke

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This spring, outstanding high school students from across the United States will take part in a unique career development program in the nation's capital, including three Cherokee Washington High School students - Sydney Morton, Brandon Henke, and Tyler Lundsgaard.

During the six-day program, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security (NYLF/NS): Exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense will introduce students to the challenging careers in national security, intelligence, the diplomatic corps and more.

"Imagine being 16 or 17 years old and the responsibility of securing the United States at home and abroad rests on your shoulders. Through specialized simulations, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security strives to put students in the driver's seat of building a strategy that will uphold our national security," said Marguerite Regan, Dean of Academic Affairs for NYLF. "The combination of interacting with professionals and with other students in this setting ensures that leaders are being developed so the future of our country will remain very bright."

Sydney Morton

The curriculum for the Forum on National Security is based on actual world events. Throughout the program, students use critical thinking, leadership and public speaking skills to tackle the complexity of national decision-making as they examine how the U.S. plans for peace and prepares for crisis. They employ a crisis decision-making process similar to that employed by the nation's top policy makers.

Students also participate in thought-provoking question and answer sessions with highly respected, internationally recognized civilian policy makers and senior military. In addition, leading institutions open their doors to Forum on National Security students, where they are educated in diplomacy, international affairs and military strategy. Past programs have included visits to several government institutions and military installations, such as the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command at Quantico, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Naval Academy, a variety of embassies and many other.

Morton is currently attending the program and Henke and Lundsgaard are scheduled to attend on Feb. 24.

Tyler Lundsgaard

Founded in 1992, the NYLF is an educational organization established to help prepare extraordinary young people for their professional careers. Forums are offered in eight cities across the United States and wide variety of career fields, such as national security, law and medicine. Over 50,000 young people have attended NYLF programs.

For additional information, visit www.nylf.org.