AW senior gets in-depth tour of Washington, D.C.

Grant Hubley just returned from a Washington, D.C. trip like no other.

The Anthony Wayne High School senior – one of two from Ohio chosen for the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) – met ABC senior political correspondent Rachel Scott, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, as well as senators, reporters, aides, military personnel and policy advisors.

“I don’t think I have had any experience that could compare to this. I did it because I’m so interested in political science and government,” Grant said.  “Every time I heard from a speaker, I thought, ‘I’m going to do that. I’m going to become a Supreme Court justice. Or a senator.’ It did change throughout the week, but I definitely want to move to D.C. and get involved ASAP.”

The March 7-14 program included 105 students who participated in an intensive study of the federal government, but the week’s overall focus was on counteracting polarization, and the first speaker of the week was from Braver Angels – a citizen’s organization uniting red and blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize our country.

“We talked about how to have conversations that can go from heated to productive. Through workshops the rest of the week, we learned to understand where others are coming from and how to find common ground,” Grant said.

All of the students he met agreed that access to health care, education and affordability are some of the main priorities for Americans – along with keeping politicians accountable, he said. As long as the students framed their questions respectfully, they could ask any question of anyone – including Hegseth and Caine.

“One question we asked them was the ethics behind using AI for border strikes, and about having AI make the final decision instead of a human. We definitely gave them a run for their money,” he said, adding that some of the adults seemed genuinely surprised at the level of questioning.

During the week, the students were accompanied by military mentors, who would start conversations and ask for their viewpoints, or weigh in if asked for input on how to frame a question. Grant’s mentor was an Army Ranger, another was a Navy SEAL. 

“They were extremely accomplished people with years of experience,” he said.

Among his favorite speakers were Scott – who shared Grant’s Instagram recap of his experiences – and Justice Jackson, who spoke about how the Supreme Court should make decisions not on politics but on an interpretation of the Constitution.

While in Washington, the youth visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, where they heard from the nation’s first Black astronaut, Charles Bolden. They met Dr. Alveda King, the niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument , the Pentagon, the White House and the State Department, where they spoke to a legislative affairs representative.

“He told us how they have experts on different areas like climate policy or education or traffic safety. Members of Congress go speak with members of the State Department for input on legislation,” Grant explained.

The students met the Senate parliamentarian, who ensures that members of Congress follow parliamentary procedure, and the sergeant at arms, who is responsible for law enforcement.

“We talked about January 6 and their experiences – and how the Capitol functions now after all of that,” he said. “We also learned about how many cybersecurity attacks are attempted on Washington each year – upwards of 40,000 they have to defend against.

“It’s cool to see how, yes, we have all of these senators, but at the same time there are so many other people that it takes to make it work,” he added.

The USSYP is made possible through the Hearst Foundations, and Grant said William Randolph Hearst III stood up and waved to the students. Grant first learned about the program through a friend in Wyoming. After submitting his application, essays, a resume and a letter of recommendation, Grant joined 90 students vying for two spots representing Ohio. Of those, 12 were selected to visit the Ohio Statehouse to make a speech and be interviewed. 

Grant first became interested in politics during his seventh grade year. He joined Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) and, with encouragement from advisor Kay-Lynne Schaller, he embarked on his first project – environmental advocacy. 

“I was talking to congressional candidates in seventh grade. That was the start of it,” Grant said.

Since then, he’s risen to serve as the national first vice president of FCCLA, as well as the Ohio president for the organization, where he served as keynote speaker for two state-level conferences. He is currently the FCCLA chapter president at the high school.

“Being an officer opens the doors for advocacy,” he said.

Two other events during his seventh grade year had an impact: the 2020 elections and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“With everything going on in 2020, especially on social media, I started paying attention. Seventh-grade Grant was probably just angry. Now, instead of just watching social media and being irritated, I’m trying to do something.”

Grant has platforms on education, food security and safety through FCCLA and serves as student council president, organizing events in the school. He has spoken nationally, including the national FCCLA and the Lifesavers National Traffic Safety conferences. He’s also slated to speak during the four-day Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend in Atlanta at the end of April.

Through the USSYP, he received a $12,500 scholarship. Grant also has a $20,000 Coca-Cola scholarship and a $3,200 National Honor Society Scholarship National Semifinalist scholarship. While he was accepted into New York University and is waiting to hear back from George Washington University and Columbia University, Grant said he’s leaning towards the University of Dayton.

Grant already has his associate’s degree, having taken international relations, political science and public administration classes through Bowling Green State University while in high school. His goal is to finish his undergraduate degree in two years, get a master’s degree in public administration, go to law school and run for elected office.

Through his USSYP experience, Grant said he may also look at the military – especially after speaking with the military mentors assigned to the students in Washington. 

“I’m motivated by the opportunities and connections I’ve made through this,” he said.

In his free time, Grant enjoys running and going to events like concerts. He is the son of Jeremy and Leah Hubley of Waterville. His sister, Reagan, is a freshman, while his brother Austin, a 2018 graduate, lives in Chicago.