National Student Leadership Congress

DEADLINE EXTENDED

Empower Your Students to Lead, Advocate, and Succeed in Washington, D.C.!

The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) invites high school TRIO students from Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science, and Talent Search programs to apply for the 2026 National Student Leadership Congress (NSLC)—a transformative, five-day leadership experience in Washington, D.C., from June 7–11, 2026.

At NSLC, 100 outstanding TRIO students from across the country will gain hands-on leadership training, debate policy in a Mock Congress, meet their Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill, participate in community service, and engage in college and career planning workshops. This immersive experience will build students’ confidence, leadership skills, and civic engagement while connecting them with a national network of TRIO peers. Students must apply before Monday, March 2, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Do you know a high-achieving Upward Bound, UBMS, or Talent Search student who’s ready to make an impact? Directors, use this handbook to guide them through the application process.
Watch this short instructional video that walks through key expectations, timelines, and logistics.

Apply here

Additional Information

✔️ Must be a high school junior or sophomore (Class of 2027 or 2028). ✔️ Must be enrolled in a TRIO Upward Bound, UBMS, or Talent Search program that is an Institutional Member of COE. ✔️ Maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher (students with a lower GPA may still apply with TRIO staff endorsement).

✔️ Develop Leadership Skills – Students will gain critical decision-making, goal-setting, and negotiation skills. ✔️ Experience Real-World Advocacy – Students will meet with Members of Congress to advocate for issues that matter. ✔️ Prepare for College & Career Success – Interactive workshops will help students explore future pathways. ✔️ Engage in a Mock Congress – Students will research, draft, and debate policies that impact their communities. ✔️ Network with TRIO Peers Nationwide – This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with like-minded students.

NOW HIRING

Join the NSLC team!

COE is currently hiring for NSLC Counselor and NSLC Nurse positions to support students during the National Student Leadership Congress. Both roles play a critical part in creating a safe, supportive, and engaging experience for student participants throughout the Congress.

NSLC Counselor

NSLC Counselors play a critical role in creating a supportive, engaging, and empowering experience for students. Counselors work closely with participants throughout the Congress, helping them navigate sessions, build leadership skills, and connect with peers from across the country.

NSLC Counselors typically:

Serve as mentors and role models for student participants
Support daily programming, activities, and group discussions
Help foster a positive, inclusive, and safe learning environment
Gain valuable leadership, professional, and networking experience

This opportunity is ideal for current or former TRIO professionals, graduate students, recent alumni, and individuals passionate about student success and leadership development. Learn more and apply here.

NSLC Nurse

In addition to Counselor roles, COE is also seeking qualified Registered Nurses to support student health and wellness during the National Student Leadership Congress.

NSLC Nurses play a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of all participants by providing on-site medical support and responding to health-related needs throughout the Congress.

NSLC Nurses typically:

Provide basic medical care and first aid as needed
Support students with medication management and health concerns
Respond to medical incidents and coordinate care when necessary
Help maintain a safe and healthy environment for all participants

This position is ideal for licensed nurses with experience working with students or in youth-centered environments. Learn more and apply here.

Free Webinar

Your Guide to National Student Leadership Congress: Application Tips & Program Highlights

February 12, 2026,

We’re hosting an unmissable webinar for the dedicated staff of TRIO Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science, and Talent Search programs! Dive into an insightful session where we unravel the intricacies of NSLC, share insider tips on the application process, and guide you through potential funding resources.

Get more info & Register

COVERING NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONGRESS 2024

“National Student Leadership Congress has opened my eyes”: Future leaders realize their power in D.C. this summer.

Paige Vick, from the TRIO Talent Search program at Weatherford College in Texas, echoed similar sentiments. “NSLC has opened my eyes, and I would have never thought that I, a student from a low-income household, would get this experience,” Paige remarked. The event helped her break out of her shell, embrace her true self, and form friendships with peers from across the country. Paige’s participation in NSLC and her gratitude for the TRIO program underscore the life-changing impact of such opportunities.

About the Leadership Congress

Establishing a national network of emerging leaders

COE encourages outstanding students from the high school graduating classes of 2024 and 2025 to apply and serve as a representative for the 2023 National Student Leadership Congress (NSLC). Students can expect a rigorous program with a full schedule that will challenge them and provide an intensive learning experience. Selected students must attend for the entirety of the program, which takes place June 10–15. This program is for new applicants only. Students who have participated in NSLC previously are ineligible to reapply.

LEARN MORE

Get in Touch

Questions? Contact Director of Student Opportunities Angela L. Holley.

Angela L. Holley

Director, Student Development Services [email protected]

Empowering Dreams and Overcoming Barriers: The Unforgettable Journey of TRIO Students at the 2023 National Student Leadership Congress

June 30, 2023

Discover the life-changing experiences of 139 high school TRIO students who participated in COE’s National Student Leadership Congress (NSLC) in Washington, D.C. From meeting Members of Congress to exploring the National Mall, these students from low-income households found inspiration, built lasting friendships, and advocated for education access, fostering leadership and empowerment for a brighter future.

Justis Lopez

South Carolina State Representative and TRIO Alumnus Kambrell Garvin Reflects on the National Student Leadership Congress

March 30, 2021

I want to encourage all the young folks listening to this message today to get involved. It is never too early to start giving back to your school community, local community, state, and nation. We have an opportunity to do some good work. I started as a 6th grader. I was a middle school student, and I ran for my first position as the homeroom representative, and that was my first opportunity to talk to my peers and share why I wanted to be involved. All these years later, those same experiences still translate into my vital work as a member of the General Assembly. I also want to tell young people that their age should never dictate their contribution. Just because you are young or cannot vote yet does not mean you cannot be a part of the solutions to making our world a better place.

Trinity Thorpe-Lubneuski

Transforming Lives and Helping End Intergenerational Poverty

October 22, 2021

“I was 15, in Upward Bound, and attending the COE National Student Leadership Congress in D.C. During my first time on Capitol Hill, I met COE leaders and learned about advocacy from others doing this daily. It was inspiring! That’s when I started to develop an interest in research and policy. When I was in college at Pepperdine University, COE asked me to share my story in a legislative briefing. [TRIO programs] were up for reauthorization, seeking additional funding, and there were some proposed budget cuts. I could travel from California to Washington, D.C., to speak.”

Students Grow from Attending the National Student Leadership Congress, but So Do Their Mentors

July 19, 2022

Sydnie Romero, a former TRIO student and current Upward Bound instructor at her alma mater, the Homestead campus of Miami Dade College said, “Seeing the diversity was a joy in itself, and I would encourage other professionals to be a part of that.” Romero said that she especially enjoyed seeing student leadership growth and how students felt freed from their roles at home. “Introverts became extroverts,” she said of the students. She recalled one young man from Montana who said he didn’t think that at home he could be so relaxed and as much himself as he was at the NSLC, to which a new friend from New Jersey spoke up and encouraged him to give it a try once he got home.

National Student Leadership Congress 2021 Participants Reflect on a Virtual Program, Receive Laptops as Gift from Comcast Internet Essentials

July 15, 2021

Over 200 TRIO pre-college students participated in COE’s first-ever virtual 32nd annual National Student Leadership Congress in 2021. The year’s theme was the Challenge of Change. Students participated in workshops and alumni panels and took virtual tours of Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the Kennedy Center. State team leaders chaperoned participants during virtual Hill meetings with Members of Congress. State team leaders connected students to over a dozen selective colleges during a virtual college fair. Comcast Internet Essentials gifted each student on the team that won the simulated Congress challenge with a laptop to commend this year’s participants.

30th Annual National Student Leadership Congress and What Students Need to Succeed

June 26, 2019

On the last day, students participated in a Mock Congress for which they researched, wrote, and then debated a bill of legislation on a given topic. Some of the issues included: whether vaccinations should be a federal mandate, whether there should be a national gun registry, should the United States pay reparations to the descendants of the African slave trade, and whether adolescents should receive life sentences without parole. The winning team submitted a bill on whether the District of Columbia should receive statehood — they took the position that it should not. As a reward for their winning bill, each team member received a laptop — generously donated by Internet Essentials by Comcast.

ADDITIONAL OPPRTUNITIES

COE will invite applications for these additional opportunities soon.

COE has seasonal student opportunities for TRIO high school and undergraduate students and recent TRIO graduates. Get notified when COE seeks future cohorts for the opportunities below.

GET NOTIFIED

Each summer, COE hosts more than 150 TRIO high school student delegates from Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science and Talent Search programs across the United States and territories to participate in a rigorous 6-day leadership experience in Washington, D.C. During the Leadership Congress, the delegates sleep, study, and dine on the campus of American University. In addition to meeting their Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill, delegates participate in community service projects, conflict resolution workshops, and spend much of the program engaged in a Mock Congress. This requires students to research critical policy issues, draft legislation, and debate their peers with their assigned team.

A paid internship opportunity lasting four to six months is awarded each year to a graduating senior or recent college graduate who has participated in a federal TRIO program. The program includes an internship in a Congressional office preceded by several weeks in COE’s Washington, DC office. The internship is named for the late Thomas R. Wolanin, former staff director of the Subcommittee on Post- Secondary Education in the U.S. House of Representatives, a champion of access and affordability in postsecondary education, and a committed advocate for first-generation students.

The Keith Sherin Global Leaders Program was founded with the notion that all college students should have access to international experiences. The program supports the study of TRIO college students with demonstrated leadership skills in a three-to-four-week program. Since 2000, more than 350 low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities have participated in COE-sponsored short-term and semester study abroad programs in Great Britain, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Spain.

Through the Keith Sherin Global Leaders Washington Semester Program, one high-achieving TRIO college student is selected each semester and supported with tuition, housing, and a small living stipend. The Washington, D.C. public policy program includes a semester of study at Marquette University’s Les Aspin Center and an internship placement in a Congressional office.

COE’s TRIO Career Development Program (TCDP) provides TRIO SSS and McNair students with access to competitive paid internships and jobs. TCDP builds professional skills, supports development through mentoring, provides connections to careers with top employers, and helps maximize their work experience. Students receive personalized mentoring and tools to develop and execute their career plans. After building valuable relationships, these students will be prepared to compete for highly sought-after positions with various public and private sector partners.

Learn More

Student Opportunities

Stay Connected

Learn more about how the Council for Opportunity in Education works in conjunction with colleges, universities, and agencies to help low-income students enter college and graduate.