Jackson “Jack” Basil attended the National YES (Youth Education Summit), held July 22-28 in Washington D.C, as the recipient of a competitive fellowship that enables high-school sophomores and juniors to explore the foundations of American government.

Basil, a rising junior at TMI Episcopal, was chosen to be a delegate to the national event at last spring’s Texas YES Summit, held Feb. 28-March 3 in Austin, which teaches students about state government and leadership skills. At the National YES Summit, students learn about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, participate in team debates and current-affairs discussions and tour historic sites and monuments in the D.C. area.

When the group visited Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, Basil was selected to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The National YES conference seeks high-school students who are actively engaged in academics, leadership and community service. Ambassadors receive an expense-paid, weeklong educational experience in the nation’s capital. Students engage with political leaders, visit historical monuments and apply their skills in competitive debates. The program’s mission is to help students explore American government while encouraging them to become responsible citizens who participate in the democratic process.

Basil, who is captain of the Texas Military Institute Corps of Cadets rifle team, has been active for years in the Kendall County 4-H Shooting Sports organization. A member of the winning debate team at the YES state conference, he competed to be a Texas Ambassador to the 2019 National YES Conference this summer in Washington D.C. and was one of four Texas delegates selected to attend.