This Fall, 370 outstanding high school students from across the United States, including ODA’s own Tre Gregory, took part in a unique career development program in our nation’s capital.

During the six-day program, the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security (NYLF/NS): Exploring American Diplomacy, Intelligence and Defense introduced students to the challenging careers in national security, intelligence, the diplomatic corps and more.

“Imagine being 16 years old and the responsibility of securing the United States at home and abroad rests on your shoulders. Through a specialized simulation, the NYLF/NS put students in the driver’s seat of building a strategy that would uphold our national security,” said Dr. Marguerite Regan, Dean of Academic Affairs for NYLF. “The combination of interacting with professionals along with other students in this setting ensured that leaders were being developed, so the future of our country would remain very bright.”

The curriculum for the Forum was based on actual world events. Throughout the program, students used critical thinking, leadership and public speaking skills to tackle the complexity of national decision-making as they examined how the U.S. plans for peace and prepares for crisis. They employed a crisis decision-making process similar to that employed by the nation’s top policy makers.

Students also participated in thought-provoking question and answer sessions with highly respected, internationally recognized civilian policy makers and senior military personnel.

In addition, leading institutions open their doors to NYLF students where they are educated in diplomacy, international affairs and military strategy.

Students explored several government institutions and military installations, including Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, Andrews Air force Base, Arlington Cemetary and many more Memorials and Museums.

Founded in 1992, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) is an educational organization established to help prepare extraordinary young people for professional careers. Tre was awarded a NYLF Certificate of Achievement and received 2 college credits from George Mason University for his participation in the Forum.