An Eastside High School sophomore was recently selected as one of two students from Florida to attend the FBI Youth Leadership Program (YLP) to be held this summer.

According to an Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) release, Shivi Tripathi was selected for the prestigious and highly competitive week-long, federally-funded program to be held at the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, in June.

According to its website, the FBI National Academy Associates YLP focuses on developing “an influential community of socially conscious and service-minded leaders.” The program, led by law enforcement professionals, features multiple topics from fitness, time management, ethical leadership and social media survival. The students will engage in physical training and academics that emphasize leadership skills and personal growth. They will also participate in local field trips and meet new FBI agents.

“This program, besides being highly competitive, is equally rigorous,” said Tripathi in the press release. “I am excited to learn about the various aspects of leadership and use the knowledge and drive to take on bigger challenges while also making a positive change in my community.”

The 14-year-old Tripathi is one of the youngest sophomores to participate in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Eastside. Her academic success and good citizenship were among the primary criteria for her selection into the FBI program.

Tripathi is proud to represent Eastside and Florida at the FBI YLP.

“I am looking forward to learning from it as much as I can and also making new friends from all over the country,” she said.