Marina Severinovsky, a senior at Island Trees High School, has been appointed as one of two New York delegates to the 38th Annual United States Senate Youth Program in Washington D.C.

Two students from every state, from the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Dependents Schools Overseas are selected for this program which brings the students to Washington, from March 4-11, for a week of intensive study of the federal government and the United States Senate in particular.

Each of the 104 delegates will also receive a $2000 scholarship, which, along with the program, is made possible by a grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. All transportation, meals and accommodations at the Mayflower Hotel are also provided through this grant and no government funds are used.

According to a release by the United States Senate Youth program, "The operations of the Senate will be particularly stressed during the week. As in past years, arrangements are under way for the delegates to meet with leading cabinet members, a Supreme Court Justice and several key Congressional policy makers."

In order to be selected to participate in this program, Severinovsky had to write an essay and from that 11 semifinalists from New York were chosen to go to Albany for a personal interview with a panel made up of figures from both the government and the State Education Board. Approximately three weeks after her interview, Severinovsky was notified that she was chosen as one of the two delegates from New York.

"I'm very proud. I'm very happy that I get to be part of it because I think it's going to be a wonderful experience. It is a week and I'm sure that I'll be meeting some great people. It's definitely an honor, I think, to be chosen," said Severinovsky. She added that her family was also very happy about her selection.

Severinovsky is known as a leader throughout the Island Trees community. She currently stands as the valedictorian for her senior class, she is president of the Key Club, the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, president of the Human Awareness Club, a peer mediator, a member of the National Honor Society, and a tutor, to name just a few of the activities she is involved in. She spends about eight hours a week working on community service projects, such as park cleanups and food drives.

For the past two summers Severinovsky has done internships relating to the field which she hopes to pursue careerwise. Two summers ago she interned for Nassau County Legislator Dennis Dunne and last summer she interned for New York State Senator Kemp Hannon. "It was basically on a volunteer basis," said Severinovsky. "It was a community service. I brought cases to his attention that were community-service oriented cases, elderly people who weren't getting their retirement benefits ... I brought a lot of the community sector into it, just people who needed someone to speak for them. I worked in their office but it was about advocating the rights of the people who live in the community."

Severinovsky noted that her advocacy work with government officials is very conducive to her career plans. She will be attending Columbia University in the fall and she stated, "My major is going to be business law and economics ... I've always been interested in politics, not just politics itself but law and government." Severinovsky explained that she was an immigrant to this country, coming here from the Soviet Union when she was 7 years old and seeing the difference between what is there and what is here she appreciates the democracy in America and the ability for people to speak out. "It's very different from what my parents had when they were growing up so I'm very thankful that I'm able to basically do what I'm doing," she said.

Severinovsky added that because of her appreciation for this country's democracy she has always promoted that and hopes to make a career of it, so when the guidance department showed her the application for the Senate Youth Program, she was very interested in it. She explained, "It just seemed like it was basically in the same vein that I've always kind have gone with and to be able to be part of it and see it on a more national level ... to see the national level of government, to be a part of it and for free, that's good."