Get your Youth Education Summit application in ASAP for this great summer trip

Fairfax, Virginia - You have just less than a month left to get in on the action of this year's NRA Youth Education Summit. If you're a sophomore or junior in high school, YOU could be a part of a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C.

Find the application for this once-in-a-lifetime experience at the Youth Education Summit website. The summit takes place June 24 - 30 this summer, but applications must be postmarked by February 18!

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Two Youth Education Summit students taking in the 2013 SHOT Show

Las Vegas, Nevada - One of the great things about SHOT Show is never knowing who you're going to see next. During yesterday's walkabout, for example, I was pleasantly surprised when I happened upon two students from NRA's 2012 Youth Education Summit. None other then Miss Molly Smith and Kaytlyn Leonard.

"The rest of the gang is so jealous that we're at SHOT," Smith told us with a grin. "It's all over Facebook."

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Capital gains for high school students in week-long NRA Youth Education Summit

My fourth best moment of last year has to be this past summer's NRA Youth Education Summit. Held annually, Y.E.S. is an all-expenses paid week-long trip to Washington D.C. for a few dozen lucky high school students.

At the summit, students begin traveling around the nation's capital as strangers and end it as good friends. I got to know a lot of the kids during the week and it was awesome hearing all of the stories about their different levels of involvement in the shooting sports, how they heard about the summit and, of course, why they decided to come.

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Deadline to get in on one of the summer's greatest trips, courtesy of the NRA, just over a month away

Fairfax, Virginia - This year's Youth Education Summit looked like they had a lot of fun, didn't they? For all you high school Sophomores and Juniors out there, YOU could be a part of next year's week-long trip to Washington, D.C.

The NRA is currently accepting applications for the 2013 National Youth Education Summit - a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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Former Y.E.S. attendee is a Rhodes Scholar

Fairfax, Virginia - Joseph Riley, Tennessee native and alumnus of NRA's 2008 Youth Education Summit, has been named now a 2013 Rhodes Scholar.

A fourth-year student at the University of Virginia, Riley is majoring in Mandarin Chinese and the politics honors program at UVA's College of Arts & Sciences.

During his week-long trip to Washington, D.C. as a part of Y.E.S., Riley's exceptional debate and speech skills earned him a $2,500 scholarship from the NRA Foundation and he has gone on to be a shining example of the character present in those that attend the summit.

"I still remember my time at the Youth Education Summit, and I think it certainly was one of the more formative experiences that I have had," Riley said.

Now he has the chance for another formative experience, one as a Rhodes Scholar.

The prestigious Rhodes Scholarships fully funds two to three years of study at Oxford University in England. There, Riley plans to gain a masters and doctorate in international relations before pursuing a career in the United States Army.

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Working towards NRA scholarship by taking Eddie Eagle to Elementary Schools in North Carolina

Every summer, the National Rifle Association gathers students from across the nation for a summit. A week-long educational experience where almost fifty high school sophomores and juniors tour monuments, attend lectures and listen to experts on the what it means to be an active and valuable citizen of the United States.

Part of that process includes an opportunity to help pay for college – but only for those who are willing to go that extra mile. Its known as the Grand Scholarship and it all depends on what they bring back to their community.

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Comes to NRA Headquarters for Youth Education Summit before shooting Smallbore at Camp Perry

Emporia, Kansas - Two events serve as highlights every summer for those of us here at the National Rifle Association: the Youth Education Summit and the National Rifle & Pistol Championships in Camp Perry, Ohio. Bookmarking the beginning of the season with YES and the end with Camp Perry, it's seldom that the two events come together. Unless you run into someone like Megan Hilbish.

Hailing from Emporia, Kansas, Megan has been around firearms for as long as she can remember. With an enthusiastic hunter as a father, it's no wonder she started in the shooting sports early.

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Learn all about the NRA's week-long educational experience for high school students in Washington D.C.

Fairfax, Virginia - The cover story for this month's NRA InSights is a great recap of the Youth Education Summit, NRA's week-long trip to Washington D.C. for high school sophomores and juniors.

At the summit, students find themselves traveling all over the Washington D.C. area with people who will eventually become good friends. Together they visit locations like The Capitol, Marine Corps Base Quantico, the National Archives and many memorials, monuments and other great places.

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Breaking down Y.E.S. participation throughout the United States

Fairfax, Virginia - In 1996 the NRA started its once-in-a-lifetime summer trip for high school students - the Youth Education Summit. Since then the program has graduated over 675 participants from all over the country. And we mean all over.

Take a look at the map above to see the breakdown of which states have produced the most Y.E.S. students. Unfortunately we've yet to see representatives from Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, but hey, there's always next year.

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