2025 High School Leaders Program Cohort

Congratulations and welcome to the 2024 cohort of the High School Leaders Program! The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership is excited to announce the names of the 34 Virginia high school students selected as the program’s newest members:  

Nahyla Barakat, Greater Richmond
Anuradha Basnet, Hampton Roads
Ryne Bracknell, Hampton Roads
Charvi Deorah, Greater Richmond
Owen Engel, Greater Richmond
Kian Francois, Northern Virginia
Nicola Garnieri, Northern Virginia
Evelyn Glass, Northern Virginia
Riyan Golden, Fredericksburg
Bryce Hallberg, Hampton Roads
Andrew Huang, Northern Virginia
Campbell Johnson, Charlottesville
Alejandro Lawson, Hampton Roads
Thane Ludlow, Northern Virginia
Taylor Anne Mason, Hampton Roads
Rhys Montgomery, Greater Richmond
Milan Mookerjee, Charlottesville
Jillian Paglinawan, Northern Virginia
Evangline Price, Northern Virginia
Abreiona Rice, Hampton Roads
Armaan Sethi, Northern Virginia
Sam Sewell, Hampton Roads
Alice Shin, Northern Virginia
Keely Solomon, Northern Virginia
Angie Sun, Northern Virginia
Rosalind Van Reken, Northern Virginia
Nora Wild, Northern Virginia
Riley Woods, Greater Richmond

Sorensen’s 2025 HSLP class represents a strong and diverse group of students from high schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Cohort members will focus on the structure and current state of Virginia politics and governing, learn how sustainable public policy is developed, and develop both advocacy and consensus-building skills.   
 
“HSLP is a key program in Sorensen’s mission of promoting trust, civil discourse, respect, and ethics as components of effective civic leadership,” said Larry Roberts, the Director of the Sorensen Institute. “We believe that Sorensen-trained students can make a positive difference in their communities and should be encouraged to do so.”  
 
“We look forward to students connecting with peers who are also interested in working together to improve the quality of our civic engagement.”  
 
Many of the nearly 2,700 alumni of Sorensen’s programs for students and adults play key roles in the civic life of communities across Virginia. They include a Governor, Members of Congress, as well as many General Assembly members, Virginia cabinet members, and local elected officials.