Connecting America’s Future
Experience American cultural diversity through study and community service in a new state
Interstate Scholars aims to help you:
Develop life-long connections in communities across America
Gain experience solving community issues with fellow student leaders
Broaden your vision of what you can achieve, and what you can do together
Our Mission
We seek to create changemakers who approach our nation’s profound social issues with compassion, competence, and understanding. We do this by connecting student leaders from underserved communities and providing them with a platform to make tangible change.
The Leaders Our Nation Needs
The United States is a vast nation full of different perspectives, contexts, and cultures. But this incredible diversity gives rise to complex social challenges. Part of the challenge is often that no single solution works for everyone involved.
These issues require nuanced, individualized solutions. In order to engineer such solutions, we need well-informed leaders who are both passionate and compassionate.
Where can we find such leaders? Many youths in underserved communities have these qualities, and resilience and creativity, as well. But certain barriers make it difficult for many of these youths to become influential leaders in society: fewer chances to travel and learn about other regions in person; fewer chances to hone their leadership skills; fewer chances to continue their formal education after high school.
Interstate Scholars is a non-profit organization that tackles these barriers and boosts students on the way to leadership careers. Our fully-funded programs connect schools in underserved communities across state lines. We challenge students to learn about new places and people, to understand the problems they face and the solutions that work for them. We encourage students to consider many options for their continued education, including schools in other regions. We build a network of smart and driven youths who can support each other as they reshape the future.
Programs
Interstate Scholars is working on three programs. We are planning on launching Interstate Stories and Virtual Exchange Scholars within the next year.
Join the conversation: Interstate Stories
Our storytelling campaign is located on Interstate Scholars’ Instagram account. We ask students to share what they find unique about their community, in pictures and words. We post all relevant and appropriate submissions on the account.
Coming Soon: Virtual Exchange Scholars
Our virtual exchange was inspired by the need for social distancing during the time of COVID-19. Students from different states are paired up to teach each other about their home communities and a problem each of them would like to solve. This program is several weeks long.
Future Offering: Interstate Scholars Program
Our flagship in-person exchange program will allow high school students to visit a community in another state. This program will occur during their home school’s spring break. Students will stay with a local family, visit another school, learn about colleges in the area, and work on an issue that affects the community.
Interstate Scholars 