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		<title>The USSYAA Podcast</title>
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		<description>A podcast featuring the stories, successes and milestones of the worldwide membership of the USSYAA</description>
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			<title>The USSYAA Podcast</title>
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		<itunes:summary>A podcast featuring the stories, successes and milestones of the worldwide membership of the USSYAA</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:subtitle>By and For the members of the United States Senate Youth Alumni Association</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:author>USSYAA</itunes:author>
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			<itunes:name>USSYAA</itunes:name>
			<itunes:email>admin@ussyaa.org</itunes:email>
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			<title>2026 Scholarship Recipients &amp; Alumni Weekend Awards</title>
			<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Alumni Weekend brought members together from across the country to celebrate our achievements and honor the dedicated service of Vicki Cundiff and former Congressman Dan Kildee of Michigan. Here's our March 2026 episode!]]></itunes:subtitle>
			<description><![CDATA[If it's March, it's Alumni Weekend!

We were thrilled to gather in Washington this month to meet the delegates of the Class of 2026, and come together for our annual Awards Dinner, where we honored the contributions of Vicki Cundiff (CO-1973) and former Congressman Dan Kildee of Michigan. 

The USSYAA Board of Directors presented the James T. Molloy award to Vicki, in recognition of her decade of service to the USSYAA as Chair of our Scholarships committee, and as Alumni Programs Director on the Board. 

Congressman Kildee of Michigan was presented with the Rosalie Wynn Hearst Distinguished Service Award, and he shared a wonderful story with us about his experience working alongside Georgia Representative John Lewis in the US House. Listen to excerpts from the night here.

Our new Alumni Programs Director, Erica Wozniak (MI-2009) honors our 2026 USSYAA Scholarship recipients, and Ryan Gavin (ME-2009) shares some news.

Happy March from USSYAA!]]></description>
			<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Alumni Weekend brought members together from across the country to celebrate our achievements and honor the dedicated service of Vicki Cundiff and former Congressman Dan Kildee of Michigan. Here's our March 2026 episode!]]></itunes:summary>
			<link>https://podcast.ussyaa.org/?name=2026-03-20_2026_03_20_scholarship_winners_and_dan_kildee.mp3</link>
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			<itunes:duration>19:44</itunes:duration>
			<author>admin@ussyaa.org (USSYAA)</author>
			<itunes:author>USSYAA</itunes:author>
			<itunes:keywords>USSYAA, United States Senate Youth Program, US Senate Youth Program, USSYP, United States Senate Youth Alumni Association</itunes:keywords>
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			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:57:00 -0400</pubDate>
			
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			<title>Alumni Spotlight Interview: Karl Rove</title>
			<itunes:episode>002</itunes:episode>
			<podcast:episode>002</podcast:episode>
			<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Karl Rove joins the new USSYAA Podcast and reveals which president started singing to him in the East Room, how he got hired by a guy named George from Texas, and what exactly brought on that bad case of "Potomac Fever" he caught as a delegate to USSYP.]]></itunes:subtitle>
			<description><![CDATA[We're only on episode two, and we already have a fantastic Alumni Spotlight episode to share! Last month, Steven Stacey (AZ-2003) visited one of our most notable members in Austin. Karl Rove represented Utah in 1969, and shared some fantastic stories with us about his storied career. He also confirms that he did indeed catch what he calls "Potomac Fever" on his first trip to Washington.

In this episode, Mr. Rove talks about his early years in school in Utah, his memories of the US Senate Youth Program, and his service in the White House as the Deputy Chief of Staff for President George W. Bush. Along the way, you might hear an impression or two, stories from college campaigns, tails from the campaign trail, and you’ll likely notice more than a few familiar names, including Atwater, Stone, Manafort, Armitage, Libby, Comey, Wicker, and others.

Among the anecdotes, we focus on the big takeaways from Mr. Rove’s long career, including how he wound up working for the Chairman of the RNC and later his son (both of whom would later be elected President), and what he was really thinking about his choice to spend his career in politics as the Valerie Plame affair engulfed the White House. His memories of the moments that defined both campaigns and administrations are exciting to hear directly from the person in the room, including the one policy issue he wished the George W. Bush Administration had moved to tackle before social security reform, and who he says “left us all out to dry” when a special prosecutor came looking for answers.

Of particular interest to us was his answer to the question “Did you ever think of running for an office yourself?” In his self-effacing response, Mr. Rove draws a clear line between the people he knew earlier in life who planned their future electoral accomplishments out in advance, and the people who “went home and had lives.”

“These people were centered. They had a sense of community and service. They lived where they wanted to live, where they had family and friends.” In Mr. Rove’s telling, they were the ones who went on to be great public servants. Karl also has some excellent advice for our members – or anyone – who wants to get involved in public service, which he credits to his friend James Carville.

Finally, he shares with us a surprisingly meaningful connection that he made with senior Obama advisor David Axelrod back in 2010, after his memoir, Courage and Consequence, was published. We have a saying here at the USSYAA that there are “may paths to service,” and the story of his work with Mr. Axelrod is a great example of how the important things in life can bring anyone together.

Please enjoy listening to this interview, and subscribe to the Podcast so you don’t miss future episodes.

Our very grateful thanks to Mr. Rove for his time!

Episode written by Steven Stacey, produced and mixed by Ryan Gavin (ME-2009). Special thanks to Erica Wozniak (MI-2009).]]></description>
			<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Karl Rove joins the new USSYAA Podcast and reveals which president started singing to him in the East Room, how he got hired by a guy named George from Texas, and what exactly brought on that bad case of "Potomac Fever" he caught as a delegate to USSYP.]]></itunes:summary>
			<link>https://podcast.ussyaa.org/?name=2026-02-20_2026_02_20_karl_rove.mp3</link>
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			<itunes:duration>57:17</itunes:duration>
			<author>admin@ussyaa.org (USSYAA)</author>
			<itunes:author>USSYAA</itunes:author>
			<itunes:keywords>USSYAA, USSYP, Karl Rove, United States Senate Youth Alumni Association, United States Senate Youth Program</itunes:keywords>
			<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
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			<pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:45:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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			<title>Intro, About the USSYAA &amp; Alumni Weekend 2026</title>
			<itunes:episode>001</itunes:episode>
			<podcast:episode>001</podcast:episode>
			<itunes:subtitle><![CDATA[Welcome to the USSYAA Podcast! Long in the planning, we're excited to present content like news updates, long-form interviews, audio history projects, and more. Welcome!]]></itunes:subtitle>
			<description><![CDATA[Introducing the USSYAA Podcast: About, by and for the members of the United States Senate Youth Alumni Association! Starting in 2026, we're presenting news about the USSYAA here in audio format, extended interviews with notable members, spotlight episodes about some of our unsung members, and audio history projects that capture the memories and excitement of Washington Week. 

USSYAA President-Elect Ryan Gavin introduces the podcast in this initial episode, covers the core programs of the association, and highlights the upcoming events at Alumni Weekend in Washington.

Welcome to the podcast!]]></description>
			<itunes:summary><![CDATA[Welcome to the USSYAA Podcast! Long in the planning, we're excited to present content like news updates, long-form interviews, audio history projects, and more. Welcome!]]></itunes:summary>
			<link>https://podcast.ussyaa.org/?name=2026-02-10_20260210intro.mp3</link>
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			<itunes:duration>12:52</itunes:duration>
			<author>admin@ussyaa.org (USSYAA)</author>
			<itunes:author>USSYAA</itunes:author>
			<itunes:keywords>USSYAA, The United States Senate Youth Program, USSYP, United States Senate Youth Alumni Association</itunes:keywords>
			<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
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			<pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:03:00 -0500</pubDate>
			
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