Harlan

ELKINS — Elkins High School junior Juliann Harlan’s list of accomplishments continues to grow, as she was recently accepted into the prestigious United States Senate Youth Program.

The USSYP is described as being one of the most selective leadership and political programs in the country, and has an acceptance rate of just 0.08%. Harlan is just one of 104 students across America that were selected to the program, and one of two from West Virginia.

The other was Pocahontas County High School senior Joseph Van Meter.

“Only two kids from every state … get into this program,” Harlan told The Inter-Mountain Thursday. “I was extremely excited when I received the news that I was selected. When I saw the six finalists for this (state) competition I thought there was no way that I even had a chance. The people I was up against were phenomenal, but more importantly, other than myself and the other delegate, they were all from Huntington, Charleston and other big cities in West Virginia. So I’m so excited that we have two rural students to represent West Virginia.”

Harlan received a $10,000 scholarship for being selected and was named the highest-scoring delegate in the entire program. She will represent West Virginia during USSYP Washington Week in Washington, D.C. on March 7-14.

During her trip to the nation’s capital, she will have the opportunity to meet with President Donald Trump, United States senators and members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, cabinet secretaries, and military and national leaders, officials said.

“A majority of the time participants get to meet the president, vice president, and the First and Second Ladies of the United States,” Harlan said.

Harlan is only the second student from Randolph County and the first-ever from Elkins High School to be accepted into the program. Misty Taylor, a Tygarts Valley High School student, was the first from Randolph County, back in 1996.

Earlier this year, Harland was selected as the top essay award winner for the 2025 America’s Field Trip Contest, which was a national competition held to celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States. Harlan was rewarded with an all-expense paid trip to Texas for the essay win, and received a $1,000 scholarship for her teacher, Amanda Sacks.

Harlan is also a back-to-back champion in the West Virginia American Legion Oratorical Contest. She finished runner-up in that contest in 2024 and was the third-place finisher this year.

“I want to keep working very hard for my community,” Harlan said. “I love Elkins, I love West Virginia and like I have said before, my main goal in life is to become the first female governor of West Virginia. I adore this state, so I plan to continue to serve this state in any way, shape or form that I can, and serve this country.”

Harlan said her goal after high school is to attend the U.S. Naval Academy and pursue a degree in political science.